Everything's Not What It Seems
by MysteryGirl7Freak
Summary: The Lockwood children wake up one day in the Disney Realm in different locations with not much memory of how they got there. Now, they have to try and find each other again and see if they could get back home while trying not to get kill.
1. Chapter 1

**Myst: I know that me and Freak should just be working on our first story, but we couldn't ignore this story.**

**Freak: We're two people, sometimes we work on two different stories.**

**Myst: So...presenting our second story. Freak, disclaimer.**

**Freak: We do not own Disney. Only Kyra, Luke and Garnet.**

* * *

**Everything's Not What It Seems to Be**

Pale purple eyes slowly flickered open to sunlight filtering through brightly green leaves. Blinking slowly, it took a few seconds to get used to the light and for her to be able to keep her eyes open. A cool breeze grazed her cheek, feeling like the hand of a ghost. The young girl with long black hair groaned, clutching her head.

What happened? Kyra Lockwood didn't know. She remembered that she was with her brothers, and they were in California. The rest was a bit fuzzy. This place doesn't look like California. On top of that, her head felt as if an anvil crushed it.

Kyra pushed herself up and looked around at her surroundings, rubbing her forehead. Everything seemed so colorful, like it was some kind of cartoon. And there were a lot of trees. Trees with lots of foliage and that were very tall, practically touching the sky. She could hear birds singing and also heard running water, hopeful nearby so she could get a drink. She didn't see her brothers anywhere; just a moldy log, a shaking bush, and a rabbit that scurried into a hole, but no-

_Wait._

Kyra's head whipped back to the bush. It was shaking like a rattle, some leaves falling off. Whatever was in there, it wasn't her brothers. Searching for a weapon, she grabbed a thick stick from the forest floor and took small, steady steps towards it, her shoulders tensing. After taking a deep breath, she pushed back the top of the foliage and reeled back her weapon.

"Ahhh!"

Kyra screamed, stumbled over her own feet, and landed flat on her back. Then a fawn jumped out and ran, followed by a rabbit and a skunk, all jumping on her stomach before vanishing into the thicket. Moaning in pain, Kyra sat up and rubbed her stomach. "Ouch…"

_Stupid animals._ Getting up, she looked back at the direction the woodland creatures went. _Weird. Did those animals just scream?_

"Nah. Not possible." Once again on her feet, she mulled over her situation. "Ok. I woke up in the middle of a forest, I have no directions out, and my brothers are missing. On top of that, my memory is wacko." Kyra inhaled through her teeth, frowning. "Can't see how it can get any worse."

Shaking her head, she started to move towards that river she'd heard earlier, bag swinging from her shoulder as she walked.

It was a smaller river than she thought it to be when she arrived, but it looked fresh and clear. The water reflected the sunlight, making it look like it was made of crystals. Kyra bent down and scooped some of it into her mouth, the taste refreshing and satisfying her thirst.

Letting out a breath, she looked into the water and nearly jumped out of her skin. In her reflection, an eerie glow surrounded her, the blue outline barely distinguishable against the sunlight.

"N-now I'm glowing like a nightlight," Kyra said weakly. She pressed her lips together, a bit freak out. "Yeah, it just got worse."

For awhile, she just sat there, trying to figure this out. _Why am I glowing like a ghost?_ _Did I die? Is that it? This place doesn't really look like the afterlife, though it is nice. But I couldn't be dead, I felt pain during my time here, and it's not a dream. That's for sure. So, what happen?_

She groaned, slumping her shoulders in distress. "This is too confusing. Somehow, my brothers are at fault for this. Speaking of which, if I'm here, then they should be somewhere around here too." She stood up, dusted off her beige pants, and set off. "Well, better go find them."

* * *

"AHHH!"

In a dry valley, a dirty blonde-haired teenage boy was lying on his back. Unconscious ten minutes ago, now fighting off a trio of vultures, arms and legs flailing like a powerful fish. Waking up with a big, ugly bird poking its sharp beak at your stomach is not fun. Frankly, it's painful and feels like someone slashed a knife at your flesh.

"Get outta here! Go on! Scram! Dinner's cancelled! Shoo!"

In a fury of feathers and limbs, the vultures hastily took off, a cloud of feathers were left behind. Luke pushed himself into a sitting position slowly, clenching his mid section. He spat out a few black feathers, glaring at them as they floated down. "Stupid birds."

He winced, hissing through his teeth. Luke shifted so that he was standing on his knees, breathing slowly. Removing his hand, he saw that blood covered his hand from his stomach. He grimaced. "Man, those turkeys have some peckers. I hope Kyra has some bandages."

Luke jolted when he realized that neither his sister nor brother were anywhere in sight. "Kyra?" he called, getting up. "Garnet? Guys? You here?" He limped over to the black backpack a foot away from him and, after searching, pulled out some gauze which he quickly wrapped around his abdomen. While he slung his bag over his shoulder, he finally noticed his surroundings.

"This doesn't look like the woods," he muttered, "More like that Andy Griffin show."

He didn't know how he got there. In fact, he didn't know what happened in-between this. One minute they were walking in the woods, the next birds were trying to eat him. But he'll worry about all that later. Right now, his younger siblings where somewhere around this rocky place. He had to find them.

* * *

In a meadow of white flowers, a young boy yawned as he stretched his arms out, sitting up. He was small for his age, and had ash brown hair with light brown highlights. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he finally realized the change in scenery. He blinked in confusion.

"Kyra, do you know where we are?" the little boy asked, thinking she was near. Hearing no answer, he turned around. "Kyra? Luke?

There was no one around.

Garnet crawled to his feet, clutching the single strap of his backpack. "Guys? This isn't funny."

Still, the only sound was the whispering of the gentle breeze flowing through the flowers, stray petals floating in its current. He didn't like this, where were his brother and sister? And where was he?

Garnet looked around the landscape, taking in how brighter than usual it was. Bright and colorful. And he felt like he'd seen this place before. The flowers, the tree, the lake, that big house across the lake, he recognized them.

_'But I've never been outside of California before,'_ Garnet thought. _'It's kinda weird.'_

"Oh dear, oh dear!"

Garnet spun around, the bottom of his jacket flapped up and down like wings. Down at the base of the slope, a rabbit wearing a red waistcoat and giant pocket watch hopped/ran by, yelling, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!"

The young boy blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. "Whoa!" He whispered in awe. "No way."

The rabbit kept going, growing smaller in the distance. Garnet made the quick decision of following the little creature, his small legs going fast.

Few moments later, the rabbit scurried into a rather large, cave-like rabbit hole, big enough for a kid to crawl into. Garnet slid past the entrance like a baseball player going to home plate. He crawled deeper into the cave, the assistance of light absent here. All the while, he was still amazed by what he saw.

_'I can't believe it. I'm chasing after the rabbit from Wonderland. That explains why this place is familiar, I'm in the movie! I wonder if-'_

But he was cut short when his hand slipped, falling head over heels down a hole.

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**Review Please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, EVERYBODY!**

**Myst: It is me, MysteryGirl**

**Freak: And me, Freak.**

**Myst: Now we know that most people are more interested in our other story, but we wanted to add another chapter to this.**

**Freak: So that's why we are updating this now instead of finishing up Garnet's part.**

**Myst: It's just Kyra and Luke for now. Next chapter will be all about Garnet.**

**Freak: Since something big is gonna happen. Plus, when you're in Wonderland, lots of stuff happens that it requires its own chapter.**

**Myst: So, we don't own Disney. And without further ado, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Kyra leaped over another dead log, nearly tripping in the process. She's been walking around for hours and had not even found a footprint. To make matters worse, she had no idea where she was going.

"Man, where's a GPS when I need one?" she complained, pulling a low branch out of the way and letting it whip back behind her. "Even the forest is different than when I first woke up."

It was true; the trees weren't as tall and the scenery looked more like it was enchanted. Also, there were mountains as big as the ones along the Rocky Trail back home. Not to mention, her glow was a bit brighter here, though still hard to see in the sunlight.

"I don't get it," Kyra pondered, taking a seat on a boulder. She slid her bag off and laid it on the ground near her. "How did I end up here with my brothers missing?" She sighed, resting her chin in her hands, elbows propped on her knees. "If I'd known running away would be this difficult, maybe I could've come up with something else." She blew at a stray hair in her face, frustrated.

Unknown to her, something sneaked forward behind her back. It headed over to her bag and opened the flap.

Kyra went rigid when she heard the grumbling, raspy voice. Looking down, she saw the bottom half of a grey, fluffy creature sticking out of her bag.

"Hey!" Kyra jumped up, immediately taking hold of the creature's legs. "Get out of there!"

She yanked it out, her stuff spilling out in the process. Upon seeing the creature, she screamed, dropping the creature on his head. Dazed, the creature slowly sat up, rubbing his head.

"Oh, poor Gurgi hurt his poor, tender head from mean lady dropping him!"

"Oh, my gosh!" Kyra mumbled, stunned. She stared wide eyed at Gurgi, one of the characters from 'The Black Cauldron'. A Disney movie. And here he was, before her and caught rummaging through her bag. "I-I can't believe this." Then she noticed he was clutching her hairbrush and she snapped out of it. "E-excuse me, that's mine."

Gurgi quickly hid it behind his back with both of his arms. "Gurgi doesn't know what mean lady is talking about."

"Mean lady?" Kyra raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed. "Look, I'm having a bad day. And seeing you is probably proof that I've smashed my head before I woke up. So please, just give me back my hairbrush." She put her palm out.

Gurgi just shook his head. "Nope."

Kyra growled, clutching her hand into a fist. She took a deep breath. _'Well, looks like I have to try something else,'_ Kyra thought. _'What happened in the movie again? He did the same thing to Taran with that apple. Maybe if I give him food, he'll give it back.'_

"Ok, how about we trade, huh?" Kyra bent down and fumbled around inside her bag. "Give me my hairbrush, which is useless for you, and I'll give you…"she pulled out a Hersey bar and ripped off the wrapper. "This chocolate bar." Kyra held it out to him, giving him a sweet smile.

Gurgi looked curiously at the bar, sniffing it. His eyes shifted back and forth from her to the candy. Finally, he agreed and snatched the food, dropping the brush. He ate it in three big chomps while Kyra grabbed her brush and gathered the rest of her belongings back into her bag.

"Oh, Gurgi is much happy!" Gurgi said with glee, jumping into the air as if dancing. "Mean lady gave poor, miserable Gurgi munching and crunching! Nice food. Good lady! Good food!"

"Ok." Kyra slung her bag across her shoulder and stood up, feeling awkward. "Well, I have to go."

She started to stride briskly, but Gurgi ran in front of her.

"Wait, wait!" he exclaimed, holding his arms out. "Gurgi wants to know where Mean Lady going."

"No time to talk, Hallucination." Kyra walked around him. "I got some brothers to find. Then find the next bus out of here."

The furry creature scampered to catch up with her. "Gurgi looking for brother, too."

Kyra paused, looking back at him as he stopped beside her. "You…have a brother?"

Gurgi shook his head, vigorously. "Nope. Gurgi have no brother."

"Then what? The person's name happens to be 'Brother'?" Kyra crossed her arms, not knowing what to think of this. But one thing she was sure of was this creature before her wasn't real. She was 99 percent sure.

"Gurgi looking for a brother of his friends," he said, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Are they all related?" Kyra teased, hand on hip.

Again, he shook his head. "Nope."

"I was just kidding." She started to take to go again. "Well, good luck."

However, Gurgi leaped onto her back before she went farther, hugging her neck. "Hey!"

"Gurgi has seen brothers!"

"Oh really?" Kyra glared at him. "What were they wearing?"

Gurgi opened his mouth, though he had no answer. He darted his eyes around as if he could find the answer at Kyra's feet. She just rolled her eyes. "Just what I thought." She pried him off her neck, but that didn't help much as he then held onto her arm in a death grip. Frustrated, she flailed her arm like a hummingbird. "Would you just-!" she groaned. "For something imaginary, you're a real pain."

Finally, she managed to shove him off with her other hand. Gurgi landed on his back, dropping a bar next to him. Kyra caught a glimpse of it before Gurgi hid it behind him, giving her a sheepish grin.

"You were just trying to steal chocolate off me?" she accused, mad. "Why didn't you just ask instead of bothering me?"

"Uhh…"

She waved her hand dismissively. "You know what? Keep it. I don't care. Do yourself a favor and get back to your friends."

But Gurgi didn't seem to be listening to her. He was looking at her with a stunned and frightened face, like she was some kind of ghost or something. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

He curled up a bit, peeking over his knees and pointing at her with a shaking hand. "G-g-glow."

"Huh?" Kyra glanced down at her arm. Apparently, a cloud must be covering the sky because the blue outline shone brighter and more visible than before. "Oh. Yeah. This…I'm not sure what it is. But I can assure you that I'm not a ghost if that's what you're thinking."

Gurgi wrapped his arms around his head as if trying to conceal himself. "Mean lady is human."

Puzzled, Kyra asked, "Aren't you friends with the Taran guy, if I recall right, who is also human?"

"No. You don't belong here."

"What are you talking about?" But Gurgi had already started to run away, darting around the vegetation. "Hey, wait!" She chased after him, running through twigs and thorns. She followed him down a slope, leaped over a fallen log, through a small stream, and some bushes. He was hard to keep in sight the further they went. It wasn't until her foot caught on an aboveground root, tripped, and scrambled to her feet that she lost sight of him. She turned right and left, not knowing where to go.

_'Why did he freak out like that?' _Kyra thought. _'And what did he mean when he said that I don't belong here?'_

She was pulled out of her thoughts by an unearthly screech that made her jump. Then a raspy scream followed.

"Gurgi!" Kyra yelled and ran towards the source.

She ended up at an open meadow, the ground bare and desolate. There, she could clearly see the dragon-like creature in the sky with black and purple scales. Kyra froze.

_'That can't be real. This cannot be real."_

The gwythaint swooped down, talons outstretched. Its prey jumped out in time from its clutches, dirt flying as the gwythaint flew up.

"Yipes!"

Kyra shook out of her shock and saw that Gurgi was the one being chased. Without hesitating, she bolted into the meadow. She stopped as Gurgi climbed into a dead hollow tree and jumped into a hole, the gwythaint not far. Scooping up a rock, she reeled her arm back and threw it. "Leave him alone!"

It sailed straight into its face, hitting its eye. The monster growled, turning its attention towards the girl, glowing more brightly than before. When it veered right, Kyra realized her mistake; the glow around her went dim. "Oh, not good!"

She turned and ran with the creature hot on her heels. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as her heart pounded, her hair flying behind her. A shadow fell on her and she looked up to see the monster almost upon her. She was almost at the forest's edge. Gaining more speed, she made a daring leap into the woods.

Then the gwythaint's talons closed onto her back.

Kyra screamed as she was lifted up, legs swinging and the ground sinking below her. Below, Gurgi peeped out of his hiding place as the gwythaint carried the human girl away, disappearing into the horizon.

* * *

Luke wheezed as he climbed over _another_ rocky hill. He stumbled, almost hitting a cactus. To say he was tired was an understatement. The wound in his stomach ceased bleeding, but it weakened him. His wobbly legs felt like jelly. Sweat covered his black muscle shirt in torrents, dripping off his face as though he'd splashed it with water. Mud stained his jeans from the numerous times he'd fallen. His navy blue jacket was currently being used as a makeshift turban (he started to hallucinate 20 minutes ago when an ice cube did the conga). If he didn't find a town or something, he would be in trouble.

"Oh man," Luke said, voice hoarse. "I'm gonna die."

He coughed violently, falling to his knees and hands. He swallowed, gripping loose dirt and rocks.

"This is not how I imagined it would end." His voice felt so dry. A chorus of coughs erupted from his throat; spitting followed afterwards. "Alone, middle of nowhere, buzzards eating my entrails. I don't want to die like this."

He coughed more, his body shaking. Groaning, he lifted his head up weakly and spotted something he hadn't noticed earlier. A mountain with railroad equipment, some sort of old mine. And it looks as if it has been used.

Luke's face brightened with hope, drawing out a breath. "Please have running water."

With renewed strength, he made a beeline to the entrance. He didn't stop running until he was inside, practically slamming into a water barrel. As if he were bobbing for apples, Luke ripped off his makeshift turban and dunked his entire head into the water. He resurfaced and shook his head like a dog.

"Whooo!" his voice echoed down the tunnel. "Talk about refreshing!"

He leaned against the barrel, trying to catch his breath. Spotting a canteen next to the water barrel, he picked it up. "Huh, what luck." Luke shrugged, pouring it into the barrel. Once full, he shut the lid and slung the strap across his shoulder, walking deeper into the mine shaft. He didn't know what was in here, but it wouldn't hurt to find out.

The sound of water dripping echoed throughout the dimly lit passage, lanterns hanging on beams. He kept to the rail track, cautiously looking around. Over on the wall, he spotted a crooked sign. Squinting, he grabbed a nearby kerosene lamp and stepped closer to it. On it read: _Echo Mine._

"Echo Mine," Luke said out loud. "Hm, why does that sound familiar?"

Then he heard something; voices. It was coming from the next entryway in the wall. Curious, Luke treaded softly into the tunnel, staying close to the wall. He could hear the voices clearly now, a rough voice with a cowboy accent. Keeping himself hidden, he peered over to the people below.

A big, fat guy with red hair and a mustache was fuming and yelling at three skinny guys that were identical and were cowering on a couch. Luke raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why does that big guy look a little like Tim Curry?" Luke muttered. He shook his head and crouched low, listening to their conservation.

"We almost got caught!" the big guy ranted. "That deputy almost lassoed me like a calf! I'm not gonna be hoosegowed again! So you three better get more than just a tiny jag next time. Got that?

The triplets nodded. "Yes, Uncle Slim."

_'Uncle Slim?' _Luke thought. _'You gotta be kidding me. There's nothing 'slim' about that guy. An elephant has less weight than he does. Wait a minute…I heard that name before.'_

Now that Luke thought about it, the whole scenery in the cave looked familiar. But he just couldn't put his finger on it. He was interrupted by the fat dude's talking.

"It's no wonder I'm such a laughing-stock to the other Disney villains," he complained, dragging a hand down his face.

"What about your yodeling and getting out-smarted by cows?" One of the triplets asked. His uncle grabbed him in a chocking hold like Homer does to Bart Simpson in response.

Luke turned away and leaned against the wall, mulling over what he just heard. Disney villains? Uncle Slim? Yodeling and cows?

_'Sweet Fantasy Island, I'm in a Disney movie!' _Luke realized with disbelief. _'But how?'_

Luke tried to think back. All he could remember was sneaking out in the middle of the night with his siblings, carrying whatever they had left, and running into the forest. So why couldn't he remember anything else?

_'This is bad. Real bad. Why did it have to be this movie? Out of all the others? Well, at least these guys are harmless villains. They don't have anything lethal.'_

_Click!_

_'Except guns.'_

Luke slowly twisted his head to face the muzzle of a gun. Then slowly looked up from the barrel to the trigger, the hand, and then the face of the owner; a mysterious-looking dude with a long brown coat and big hat to match. "Um, howdy?"

Rico made a slight upward movement with his gun. "Up on your feet. Slowly."

Luke obeyed, raising his hands above his head. He kept his eyes on the gun. He never had a gun pointed at him before. Unless you counted paintball and laser guns. But this one wasn't a toy.

"What are you doing here?" Rico questioned, aiming the gun to Luke's chest.

"I-I was lost in the desert," Luke stammered, sweat forming on the back of his neck. "I saw the mine and just entered it. I-I was looking for help. Didn't know this was private property. I swear I'll leave and never come back."

"It's too late for that." He aimed his gun up higher. "You've seen too much."

Luke's eyes darted around, his mind trying to come up with a plan. "P-please, I-I have this important telegram I need to take to the sheriff."

That seemed to catch Rico's interest. "What does it say?"

"I'll give it to you. Just lower your gun and I'll give it to you." Luke gripped the lamp's handle tighter, bracing himself for his plan.

Rico lowered the gun, but still kept it pointed at Luke. Luke reached into his pocket, pretending to search for something. He started to bring his hand out very slowly. Rico leaned in to see him pull out the telegram he believed the boy was getting out. When he was close enough, Luke slammed the lamp into the side of Rico's face, breaking it in the process. Rico yelled in pain, dropping the gun and clutching his face, hot oil running down it.

With the bounty hunter down, Luke ran. Down below, Alameda Slim and the Willie brothers heard the commotion and looked up to see a young man dash across with a bright glow outlining his body.

The Willie brothers grabbed each other in fear at the sight. "Ahh!"

"It's a ghost!"

"The mine's haunted!"

Slim squinted at the glowing-boy before he disappeared behind the passageway. "That's not a ghost, it's an intruder." He whirled around to his nephews. "Don't just sit there. Get him!" he yelled, pointing at where the boy went.

Meanwhile, Luke ran as if his life depended on it. Which it did. He needed a quick way to get out of here.

He rounded another corner and tripped. "Oof!"

"Ouch! Watch where ya goin', partner!"

Luke rolled onto his back and yelped. A rabbit that looked like a gold digger, with a peg leg, red bandana, and golden tooth, was right in front of him and talking.

Lucky Jack cracked his back. "That happens all the time. What are you gawking at, boy?"

"I've entered a cave of cattle thieves. There's a rabbit talking to me! What's next?"

They ducked at the sound of a gunshot. "Why did I ask?" Luke scrambled to his feet and took off, Lucky Jack right behind.

Behind them, the Willie brothers chased in pursuit, firing bullets down the mine shaft. They were hitting everything but the runners up ahead. Lucky Jack went past Luke and spotted a mine cart ahead.

"Quick!" he called, jumping into the cart. "In here!"

Luke jumped in, accidentally releasing the break. The cart started to move, getting closer to a deep slope ahead. Jack and Luke popped their heads up and saw their pursers just about upon them. One of the brothers tried to swing a shovel across Luke's face-but hit empty air. "Dang!"

Luke and Jack screamed as the cart raced down the track, wind blasting into their faces. It ended up being like a roller-coaster, twisting and spiraling, going up and down, even upside-down in a loop. Then it got so dark they couldn't see.

When they could see again, Jack glanced behind them to see the Willie brothers following them on a handcar. "Kid, we got company!"

Luke turned around and groaned. "These guys don't quit. Got any ideas?"

Jack rubbed his chin. "Got any horseshoes?"

Luke shook his head. "No. But maybe something else."

He took off his backpack and ruffled through it. After a minute, he pulled out a net-like bag of baseballs. "You ever heard of the Junior Leagues?"

"Never heard of it." Jack grabbed a red and white ball and took aim. "I'll get the one in the front! You get the two in the back!"

Luke grabbed one and readied himself. "Alright. Batter up!"

And they sent their missiles flying, Luke hit one of them square in the face and off the handcar. Jack missed and broke a lamp instead.

Jack snapped his fingers. "Dang-nabbit! That happens all the time."

Luke rolled his eyes and pitched another ball at the second Willie, hitting him in the back of the head. Dazed, he started to sway with stars circling his head, actually visible to see.

"Whoa! Never thought I'd really see something like that for real," Luke exclaimed.

While his brother was slumped against the lever, the third one aimed his pistol at Luke. Just as he was ready to fire, a ball was thrown and wedged itself into the barrel. Blocked up, the pistol's barrel puffed up like a balloon.

"Uh oh," he muttered before it exploded in his face.

"Yes!" Luke cheered. Lucky Jack threw another one, jammed into the wheels. Sparks flew as the handcar lost speed and finally stopped on the tracks.

Luke and Jack rode out of the mine and into the desert, high-fiving each other. "Yeah, now that's what I call a lucky shot!"

"Hah! That was some of the best teamwork I ever seen!" Jack praised. "Why we put the 'team' in teamwork. Yes, we did."

Unbeknownst to them, Alameda Slim was high on the mine mountain. He aimed his pistol, using his arm to steady the gun.

Back to the cart, Lucky Jack introduced himself. "Don't think we've been introduced ourselves. Folks call me Lucky Jack."

"Luke Lockwood. Or just Luke."

"Well Luke, it's good luck that you tripped over me, or else you've been shooting practice for those bandits. Stick with me and you'll be alive to see another morning." Just then, Jack saw Slim over Luke's shoulder, and the gun aimed at the kid's heart.

"Hit the dirt, kid!" Jack tackled Luke down, a split second after the gun went off.

* * *

**Myst: Man, we keep ending on cliff-hangers.**

**Freak: That could be a thing we do. Like a special symbol or something.**

**Myst: That doesn't make much sense.**

**Freak: Speaking of which, next chapter will be taking place in Wonderland with Garnet.**

**Myst: We'll see you then.**

**Freak: Here's the catch though. We need five more reviews for it. We need encouragement to go on.**

**Myst: Again, we'll see you next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Myst: Hey, everyone. We are back with the next chappie!**

**Freak: Would've been sooner if we had those five reviews.**

**Myst: Freak, let it go. **

**Freak: What? We could really use the opinion of our readers.**

**Myst: They did. Not a lot, but some did. So, we like to thank everyone who review and be responding to them below.**

**PirateWizardThief: You don't have to wait any longer for the chapter is here now. And you rock!**

**Ptroxsora: Thanks:)**

**Pearl Bramble of Willowbottom: We will continue on this until we're finish.**

**Myst: This chapter goes to those three reviewers. Now for the disclaimer. Freak?**

**Freak: We don't own anything that is already Disney's which include the Gryphon. Just our OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"This is sooo cool!"

Garnet gazed around in wonder, walking down the dirt path. He was so amazed how all of Wonderland was just like it was in the movie, all of it to the tiniest detail. After falling down that hole (which was kinda fun for him), he landed in the middle of the forest instead of the room with the talking doorknob. Well, at least he didn't have to go through that shrinking and growing process.

He kept walking without knowing where he was going. Eventually, he ended up at an odd-looking cottage with a hedge circling the backyard. Going up to the wooden gate, he stood on his tip-toes to try and see the other side. However, he wasn't tall enough. Even jumping didn't help. He stopped, pouting in frustration.

Music caught his attention and he heard two obnoxious voices singing. Smiling with excitement, Garnet entered through the gate and saw the famous tea party of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.

"~A very merry unbirthday! To you! To you! Yes, you! A very merry unbirthday! A very merry unbirthday! A very merry unbirthday to uussss!~"

Garnet laughed into his hand at their performance. That made his presence known to the two residents.

"No room! No room! There's no room!" The Hatter and Hare exclaimed as soon as they saw the kid. They rushed over and tried to shove him out of their garden.

"But you're the only people here," Garnet said, digging his heels into the dirt.

"It's rude to show up when you're not invited!" The March Hare spoke quickly, wagging a finger at the boy.

"I'll say it's rude! It's VERY rude!" the Mad Hatter nodded.

"Very, very, very rude indeed," the Dormouse said drowsily, popping up and back into its teapot slowly.

"Sorry, I didn't know. I was actually looking for someone," Garnet explained. Now that he said it, he remembered that his older siblings were nowhere to be found. He hadn't been looking for them as much as touring around like a foreigner.

"Looking for someone, you say?" The Mad Hatter asked, pushing a chair behind Garnet causing him to fall onto it.

Garnet straightened up while the two residents took their seats at the table. "Yeah, my sister and brother. Have you seen them?"

"Maybe, maybe not," the March Hare giggled, a bit crazily. Then he grabbed a teapot from behind his back. He tilted it and out poured a small plate, teacup, and then the tea itself with sugar cubes. "Care for some tea?"

Even though Garnet was amazed to see the trick the Hare did from the movie, he didn't like tea. He accepted it anyway for fear of how they would react to that fact. "Um, thanks, but seriously, have you seen anyone around here?"

"Well, there's him and the Dormouse. And me, of course." The Hatter gestured while he said this.

"I meant besides the three of you," Garnet explained, placing the tea on the table. He pulled out a photo from his bag and held it up. "Like these two."

The Hatter snatched it to get a clearer look. "But there's three here. And this little fellow has one eye."

"What?" Garnet snatched it back and examined it. "Oh, that's me. I'm wearing an eye patch. We were pirates that Halloween." He handed it to the March Hare.

The Hare scratched his head in thought, with his left ear. "No, no one in this picture has been to this party."

Garnet slumped in his chair, disappointed. "Maybe they're not here at all."

"Well, maybe you should look for someone who is here," The Hare said, folding the picture into an airplane and launching it.

"Yes," The Hatter agreed, the photo plane circling twice around his head. "Try finding someone unfamiliar."

Garnet arched an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to find someone that I never meet before?"

"By looking, of course," said the Hare matter-of-factly.

"But-ow!" Garnet rubbed his eye after the photo plane poked it, falling to his lap.

"How, you say?" The Hatter said, drinking out of a half cup, literally. "By going straight, right, left, left, left, right, left, right, right, forwards, backwards, then forwards again, and then up."

"No; he should go this way, that way, this way, left way, right way, forward, backward, that way, downward, upward, and then maybe this way," the Hare explained, gesturing with his hands and ears and even feet.

"Wait, I missed that. What comes after right and this way?" Garnet asked, confused.

"No time for that. Time we got back to our party!"

* * *

Garnet gagged, holding his stomach. "Worst tea I ever had. I don't think salt was supposed to be in it."

After leaving the tea party, Garnet tried to follow their directions just to see if maybe their crazy advice would land him in the right place. But he just ended up following the dirt road.

He stopped when the path stretched out in dozens directions with more signs nailed to the surrounding trees. _'Which way am I supposed to go now?"_

While he stood there, a person came strolling by humming a tune. Actually, it wasn't a person at all. It was an anthromophic griffin.

"Um, excuse me, sir?" Garnet called.

"Huh?" The creature stopped and looked at the child like he hadn't noticed him at all while walking. "Well, hullo little fella," he said in a Cockney-like accent. "What can I do fer ya?"

"I'm kinda lost and I don't know which way to go," Garnet explained. "And I'm looking for-"

"Don't know which way to go?" The Gryphon interrupted. "Hjckrrh! Lad, everyone in Wonderland knows that the only way to go is the Queen's way. You should ask her yourself."

Garnet doubted that would work for him. He didn't want to go anyway near the Queen of Hearts, knowing full well that she might order for his head to be chopped off. But, what if one of his siblings had wandered into her garden?

Garnet bit his lip. "Y-you wouldn't happen to know which path leads to her castle, do you?"

"Hjckrrh! I was just walkin' on it." He jerked a talon thumb to the path between the left and middle forks. "But I wouldn't recommend goin' today. A criminal, about the near end of teenhood, is being executed today."

"What!" Garnet exclaimed. It couldn't be Kyra or Luke could it.

"A young criminal is havin' his head cut off. They just caught him today-"

Garnet speed off before the Gryphon could finish, heading for the castle. The Gryphon, meanwhile, stared in confusion at the boy's receding form and the bright glow that engulfed him.

* * *

Garnet rushed down the dirt path the Gryphon showed him. Fear clouded his mind with the image of Kyra or Luke's head mounted on a platter on the wall like a deer. Light filtered up ahead and he entered the twisting maze that was the Queen of Hearts' garden. He continued forward, aimlessly turning corners until he stopped at a red-rose covered archway.

The sound of drums filled the air, beating in rhythm. He tried to peep through the arch, but wiped his head back at the sight of two card guards standing right on the other side. Luckily, they were facing the castle and had their backs to him.

Looking around, he decided to silently sneak into the rose bushes to get a better look. Ignoring the thorns scratching his face and hands, he pushed down a small section of the bush. Having a clear view of the courtyard, he could see the number of guards lining around the entrances and the wall of the castle. The Queen of Hearts herself was sitting on a low balcony, the White Rabbit and the King of Hearts beside her. Everyone's attention was drawn to the wooden platform in the middle of the courtyard.

Forced upon his knees was a dark-clothed figure with masculine features. He was wearing a black trench coat with black cargo pants and a midnight-blue shirt underneath. His gray gloved hands were tied behind his back, clutched. His black combat boots were scuffed, like he traveled a lot or something. The guy kept his face down, light ash brown hair obscuring him from view.

However, Garnet didn't need to see his face to tell this guy was a stranger to him. The White Rabbit rolled out a scroll and cleared his voice.

"For the crimes against the crown, which includes stealing what the Queen rightly claimed as hers and for unlawful damaged to her Highness's rose gardens, the offender shall be beheaded on this spring day to his death." He read out loud.

The drummers played faster and Garnet grabbed his slingshot out of his bag. He searched around the ground for a rock and grasped a hold of a pebble the size of a ping-pong ball. He readied his sling back just as the executioner stepped into place. The drums stopped.

"Off with his head!" the Queen declared.

The executioner swung the axe high over his head to make the deadly blow and Garnet, at that moment, sent the rock flying through the air. Like Goliath, the small rock slammed into the executioner's forehead and caused the man to fall back off the platform, the axe slipped into the air. The blade lodged itself into the block, an inch away from the teen's face.

Quick as a flash, the dark figured sprung up and cut his bonds on the axe's blade. Then things went into chaos.

"Seize him!" The Queen of Hearts screamed in anger.

The guards surged forward with spears ready, but the teen was faster than them. He yanked the axe out and jumped into the fray, causing a domino effect with some of the cards.

Garnet watched in awe as the criminal fought the guards, slashing their spears in half and using the axe's butt-end to knock the guards down. It was like watching an action movie up-close. For Garnet, it was exciting and terrifying, but mostly cool.

So focused on the battle, he cried out in surprise when something grabbed his ankle. Dragged out of the hedge, a guard lifted him up into the air. "He has an accomplice!"

Acting fast, Garnet pulled the rubber band of his slingshot back and let it snapped into his captor's eye. The guard yelled out in pain and covered his eye with both hands, Garnet landing with a thump on the ground.

All the same, his cover was blown. "Get them both!" The Queen screamed in rage, leaning over the railing. "Off with their heads!"

Garnet ran as a group of guards started chasing him. Meanwhile, the criminal stole a spear along with a brown bag from one of the surrounding guards and catapulted over the throng. He dashed off into the maze with them following him after they realized he wasn't in the fighting circle anymore.

Garnet ran down the labyrinth, turning along the zigzag trail. It almost seemed as if he was in that same chase fiasco that Alice was in at the end of the movie. At one point, Garnet looked back to see that he had lost the guards and ran into someone, falling to the ground.

He looked up to see it was the dark-clothed guy. He scrambled back to his feet, sheepish. "Um, hi."

The guy looked behind them, then back at Garnet. "If you want to live, keep running."

Seeing the oncoming guards, Garnet followed after the guy, running as fast as he could. He and the stranger headed into the forest, the stranger throwing the axe. It cut through a large branch that fell behind them and blocked the path, the guards comically skidding into it with no way through.

* * *

They ended up at the crossroads again, where Garnet met that griffin. The young boy sat down, panting. The dark-clothed figure, meanwhile, leaned his hand against a tree to steady himself and rubbed his neck with his other hand, glad to still have a neck.

"That *pant* was *pant* so cool what you did back there." The guy turned his head to Garnet. "Jumping into the guards like that and cutting off the exit, it was so cool! Are you some kind of superhero?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm no hero. Just some thief. But what were you doing in the Queen of Hearts' garden?

"I heard someone was being executed today and thought it was my brother or sister," Garnet said simply.

"But you saw it was me."

Garnet nodded. "Yeah, and then I threw a rock at that big guy with the axe and you did those cool moves. It was better than seeing Jack Sparrow escaping from the gallows."

"Wait." The guy held up a hand. "You… caused the executioner to fall?"

Again, Garnet nodded. "Yeah."

"So, you…saved my life?"

Another nod. "Yep."

The guy chuckled, looking to the side. Then he walked over to Garnet and kneeled to his level. "I owe you a great debt for saving my life." He held out his hand, smiling. "Thank you."

Garnet shook his hand. "You're welcome."

The guy stood back up and walked over to the tree where his bag laid at the base.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Garnet."

"Granite?" He pulled out two sheathed Khopesh swords with a flourish. "That's an odd name."

"No, Garnet."

He shrugged. "Sorry. Garnet then." He tied the weapons to his waist and stood up. "I am Adrian. You said you were looking for your brother and sister, is that correct?"

"Yeah, we got separated and I don't know where to find them," Garnet explained.

"Well then." Adrian slung his bag over his shoulder. "Guess we better start looking."

"You're going to help me?" Garnet asked.

Adrian nodded. "Yes, you saved my life. The least I could do is help you find your family. Besides, a six-year-old can't wander alone."

Garnet scowled. "I'm seven and three-quarters."

Adrian laughed quietly. "All the same, you'll need my help. Deal?"

"Deal." Garnet shook Adrian's hand again. "So where do we start?"

Before Adrian could say anything, a voice echoed from the darkness.

"_Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all mimsy were the borogoves and the mome raths outgrabe."_

The two boys watched as a smile full of bright white teeth appeared on a branch above their heads. Garnet craned his neck back to get a good look at the purple and pink cat as he slowly became visible. "The Cheshire Cat. You're the Cheshire Cat."

"Were you expecting the White Rabbit?" He said, making bunny ears with his tail.

"We are not looking for the White Rabbit," Adrian said, glaring at the cat. "We're looking for two people."

The cat smiled at him unnervingly which made Garnet uncomfortable. "Still in one piece, I see. As for the two the little one seeks, I know where they are."

That got Garnet's attention. "Really? Where are they?"

"They who?" Cheshire asked causally.

"Don't play any games with us," Adrian demanded, arms crossed. "Tell us where his brother and sister are."

The cat grinned mischievously. "They are not where he thinks they are and are where he doesn't know."

"That doesn't really help us." Garnet complained.

"You can find them by wandering, but not looking."

"That doesn't make any sense."

The cat waved his tail dismissively. "That's all I know. Oh, and that you will have more enemies than you thought you would have here." He looked directly at Garnet.

"What do you mean by that?"

But The Cheshire Cat didn't answer. Only laughed as he disappeared, his smile the last thing to go.

* * *

**Freak: What do you know, we didn't end at a cliffhanger.**

**Myst: Actually, I think we did.**

**Freak: No, we didn't.**

**Myst: Anyway, please leave all your comments, questions, and/or suggestions in the review box.**

**Freak: Also, if anyone would like to make a request of what places they could go or even their OC to make a appearance in the story, PM or review us.**

**Myst: Well, we'll just do the best we can.**

**Freak: See you all next time. Expect for the other story to be updated soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Myst: So sorry for the delay, but we've been busy. And Freak got an concussion. From her dog.**

**Freak: He didn't mean to. He was just really excited for that walk.**

**Myst: He got you right between the eyes. He knocked you silly. Literally folks. She burst into laughter afterwards. **

**Freak: But I'm back to normal.**

**Myst: Well, as normal as you can get.**

***Freak gives Myst a look***

**Myst: Well, we like to thank PirateWizardThief and yeahIwentthere69 for their help. Congrats to yeahIwentthere69 for her new story!**

**Freak: And, yes PWT, Adrian is awesome. And so will the new characters coming up. Myst, disclaimer!**

**Myst:**** We don't own anything that is already Disney's which include Wonderland, the Black Cauldron, and Home on the Range. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Kyra struggled as her captors hauled her down a hallway. After getting snatched up like a bag of oats, the gwythaint flew her to an ancient-looking castle that reminded her of Dracula's. Then she was dropped into the hands of big, burly men that she assumed were the guards.

And here she was, tied up and being dragged to possibly a dungeon. Kyra wrenched her arm, but the man kept his grip on it. "Let me go! Get your filthy hands off me!"

But they just ignored her. Finally they came to a wooden door with a barred window. One opened the door and the other threw the girl in, headfirst. She rolled onto her back as the door slammed shut, locking it.

"You could've at least untied my hands!" Kyra called out.

She huffed, blowing at her bangs. Looking around, she could see that hay littered the floor and the only light came from the cracks in the high-ceiling. The air was musty and reeked of decay and moss. Kyra inched her way back until she was sitting against the wall. She mulled over her situation, realizing that all that transpired was definitely real. Her mind kept wandering to her brothers, Luke and Garnet. Would she ever see them again? She groaned, closing her eyes. "Oh, where are you guys?"

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Kyra glanced to the shadowy part of the cell, startled. A silhouette sat in the shadows, barely visible in the little light. As her eyes readjust to the dimness, she could see it was a young man in his early twenties with shaggy hair. Judging by how his hands were above his head and fists clenched, he was shackled to the stone wall by his wrists. His head moved as if he was trying to find who was in the slight-darkness with him. "Is someone there?"

"Y-yes," she answered, attempting to sound nonchalant, but her voice shook. "Who are you?"

"Gwydion, and you?"

"Kyra. Do you mind telling me where we are?"

The green eyes glowed in the darkness where the guy sat. "Have you not already known yet?"

Kyra shifted uncomfortably in her spot. "Um, I haven't really hung out here much to guess."

"This is the Horned King's castle."

The Horned King…Kyra racked her brain trying to remember who that guy was. Even though she recognized Gurgi, the Black Cauldron wasn't a movie she knew by heart like she did with Sleeping Beauty. The Horned King was the bad guy of this movie and looked like a walking corpse. She recalled how the guy tried to rise an army of undead to kill all of humanity. And being a prisoner of his is probably not good. Like certain death not good.

Then her face scrunched up in confusion. "Wait a minute…Didn't that guy die when that cauldron blew him up?"

Chains jiggled as he moved his arms slightly. "He was supposed to be dead, and this castle no more, but it was rumored that Hades gave him the gift of life back or that the Horned King brought himself back on his own."

Kyra bit her lip. "Hm, ok. Either way sounds dark and creepy. So, what are you in for?"

"I was in the forest when his men ambushed me. The Horned King, I'm not sure what he wants. He wasn't here when they brought me to this place, but I suspect once he is back he'll request my presence."

"Why would they ambush you? You a prince or something?" Her tone implied she was kidding, but she realized the answer.

"Yes. I am a prince, a member of the Royal House of Don in fact."

Kyra made an O with her mouth in realization. "That explains it. So, when do you think he'll be back?"

"I've been here for a day and night. At the very least, tomorrow."

Kyra leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling. "What do you think they'll do to me?"

"That depends, are you a princess or some kind of witch?"

"No." Then Kyra thought back to her encounter with Gurgi and how he reacted when he saw her glow. It was gone now otherwise she would've had better light. Her fingers curled, nails digging into her palms. "But, um, I ran into someone before I was caught. The gwythaint was after him actually. I tried to help him and ended up getting myself snatched up. Before that happened, we were talking and, I guess a cloud pass over or something, but he freaked out and ran away when he saw me glowing."

"Glowing?" Gwydion sounded surprised, but mostly in disbelief.

Kyra nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what it is, but ever since I woke up, this weird glow is emitting off my body and so far it's been scaring the bejeebies out of people."

"You said you are not from here, is that correct?" He sounded urgent; like he'd been told an old acquaintance who he thought was long dead was coming over tomorrow.

"Yeah. And?"

"You are not from here." He said it as if he was finally seeing the picture before him. "You are from the Other Place."

"I'm not really following. Care to elaborate?"

But he didn't answer. Silence covered the room like a thick sheet of blanket, the day growing darker as night came. Kyra's hands ached and she felt stiff in her arms. As the hours went on, she started to make conclusions as to why everyone's so freaked out by the glow. Maybe it was a way to distinguish people from the real world in their world. But why are they so afraid of her? Did something happen here before she came? How did she come to be here in the first place? And where were her brothers? Were they captured too? Or maybe even…no, Kyra couldn't bear the thought. Maybe they weren't here at all, still in the real world wondering where she was. But something told her it was unlikely. That little memory blurred in her mind of them together and a light sucking them in. It didn't make much sense to her right now, she couldn't remember well before blacking out.

Finally, after hours of no talking, Gwydion spoke with a seldom voice. "If the Horned King finds out what you are and where you came from, he won't give you another day to live."

* * *

Luke winced. "Easy on the wound, man."

He recoiled as Jack finished bandaging up his arm. When Slim fired his gun, Luke survived thanks to the rabbit. However, the bullet nicked him in the arm. They came to a rest at the back of a train station, Jack patching up Luke's arm. The deserted wasteland stretched on for miles around them, the air filled with the smoky aroma of sizzling carrot.

"There, that should do it," Jack wiped his hands, satisfied with his work.

Luke tenderly ran his fingers over his covered wound. "Well, there goes baseball. I won't be surprise if this ends my whole sports career."

Lucky Jack waved his hand dismissively. "It's just a flesh wound. It'll heal and you'll be good as new in no time." Jack hopped down from the crate he was standing on and went over to the small fire they have built, grabbing the stick he propped up and leaning against a rock. He continued to roast the carrot over the fire.

A few minutes of silence later, Luke spoke up. "Thanks for saving my life by the way."

Jack glanced at him, smiling softly. "You're mighty welcome, kid."

Luke leaned back against the wall of the station, hands behind his head. "So, what were you doing there anyway?"

"Well, you see, kid," Jack started to explain. "That mine used to be my ole' home before those rustlers settled there. Not too long ago, I helped these three cows catch that no-good-son-of-a-gun and landed him in jail."

"I heard one of them mentioned something like that." Luke said.

"Well, long-story short, I moved onto their farm and once in a while visit the mine for memories keeps. Didn't expect to see that no-good-son-of-a-gun back in the cave." He brought his food out of the fire and blew to cool down the streaming vegetable. "Well, he won't last long until he's caught again. There's no doubt about it." He chomped the carrot whole up and started to chew. But his eyes water, stopping in mid-chew with lips puckered up. Jack spit the too-hot food out and started screaming how his mouth was burning. Luke quickly got out his water flask, unscrewed the cap, grabbed the rabbit, and jammed the drink into Jack's mouth. Jack took a few gulps before Luke popped it out of his mouth.

Jack wiped his mouth, sighing in relief. "That happens all the time."

Luke closed the cap back on the lid. "I'm sure it does."

"By the way, what where you doing in the mine?" Jack asked as Luke put the flask away. Luke looked at Jack, a bit unsure.

"Well," he drawled, then shrugged. "I got lost. I woke up in the middle of the desert with no memory of how I got there and with vultures trying to pick my bones off. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

Luke pondered on that for a bit, staring into the fire. The cackling of the kindle sounded so loud in the silence, like a forest-fire. What was he going to do? He knew he had to find his siblings but where to begin? One thing for sure he does not want to run into those cattle rustlers again.

"I think I'm gonna go outta state," he answered, "Leave town. You know where I can hop on a train."

Jack smiled knowingly then. "As a matter of fact, I know a fella with a train."

Luke sat up. "Really, that's great. When will it arrive?"

"It's at a stopping place now." Jack grabbed an old bucket nearby and drenched the flames out. "We better get going now if we want to catch it before they pack up and leave."

Luke slung his bag over his good shoulder and ran after the hopping rabbit, leaving a snaky trail of smoke from the ashes of their campfire. They followed the train track, the only light of source was from the burning constellations in the sky.

* * *

Adrian marked off another place on his map. He and Garnet where currently resting under a grove of trees, using an electronic lantern for light. They have spent all day looking for any signs of Kyra or Luke, but end up with nothing. Adrian took his chin with his index finger and thumb. "What about here? We haven't checked there yet."

Garnet looked at the teacup on the map and grimaced. "Uh, I don't think they are there. At all."

Adrian gave him an amused look. "You've already been to see the Hare and Hatter?"

Garnet nodded.

Adrian chuckled. "It's the tea, isn't it? I prefer mine green tea and not tasting of armpit."

"I prefer no tea at all."

A laugh escaped from Adrian's mouth. He examined the map again. "Well, I'm afraid there's not much places to look left in Wonderland for them. We might have to revisit some places."

Garnet sprawled himself on the ground, bummed out. He stared out into the dark blue gloom above him, the moon reminding him of the Cheshire cat's smile. Thinking back to the cat's words and riddles, he tried to decipher them in his mind. '_What did he mean by not where I think they are and are where I don't know? We've searched practically this entire place, where else is there?'_

He chewed on the side of his cheek, then his eyes lit up in thought. "Hey Adrian."

"Hm?"

Garnet sat up. "Are there other places besides Wonderland?"

Adrian idly stabbed his sword in the dirt. "Yes, there are a lot of places. For example, there's Never Land and Prydain."

"Never Land? You mean where people can fly?" Garnet asked excitedly.

Adrian smirked. "The same. Also pirates and Indians."

"Cool!"

"You think your siblings might be in one of those places?"

Garnet nodded. "Yeah, so do you think we can travel to those places?"

Adrian curtly nodded. "Yes, right away." He sheathed his sword swiftly and they gathered up their stuff. Garnet followed behind Adrian as he held the lamp aloft, walking through the forest. After walking for awhile in silence, Garnet spoke up. "So, how do we get out of Wonderland?"

Adrian stopped. He placed a hand on a tree trunk and turned to the little boy, a knowing smile on his face. "We surf."

Garnet arched an eyebrow. Adrian handed him the lantern and unsheathed one of his Khopesh swords. Carefully, he inserted the blade into a secret slot up to the handle. Garnet jumped upon hearing a _clink _emitted from the tree and watched, amazed, as a panel flapped open. Adrian sheathed back his sword and took a clothed covered item shaped like a surf board out. With a flourish, he pulled off the tarp to reveal a solar surfer much like Jim's, but the board was blue and when Adrian activate it, the sail was silver like a fish's scale. It hovered a few inches off the ground as Adrian stepped on.

"Where did you get that?" Garnet asked in awe as Adrian took the lantern and put it in his bag.

"Montressor," Adrian replied, lifting Garnet up and placing the boy in front of him. "An old friend helped me built it. Here, wrapped this around your waist." Adrian dropped down the end of the rope to him and tied the other end around his own waist. After making sure both of theirs were secured, Adrian started up the surfer and they floated higher into the sky, going past the trees.

Garnet held on tightly, excitement pumping through him. "Where are we going first?"

They stopped, hovering between the trees and the sky. "The nearest exit follows up to China. I have to make a detour there anyway. Now hold on tight because this thing tends to go fast." Adrian stepped back and floored down the accelerator pedal. With a sonic boom, they propelled forward with Garnet almost falling off. Garnet regained his footing and held on in a death gripped. The wind rushed past them making their hair dance wildly. As they speed off, Garnet laughed and whooped, having so much fun than he ever had in his life.

* * *

Luke and Lucky Jack stopped as they saw the train Jack spoke of. Smoke trailed from the front and a sharp whistled sounded. Jack panted. "Looks like we just made it." He dashed forward just when Luke caught up and tried to catch his breath. "C'mon!"

Luke groaned, but followed running fast. They ran past the third cart just as the conductor called out "All aboard!" on the other side. Luke pushed forward as the train slowly started to move. Jack kept hopping forward until he came what he was sure was the box cart. He cupped his hands around his mouth, still moving. "Mark!"

A deep roar like a lion's answered him making his fur jumped. "Sorry, wrong cart."

"Jack?"

The rabbit turned back to see the neighbor cart's door open and a marten-like creature popped his head out. Jack slowed his pace till he was in besides of that cart. "Ah, there you are! That happens all the time."

The marten rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know that! How did you find me? I told you we weren't leavin' till tomorrow!"

Jack put his paws on his hips, still jumping. "Then what's this?"

Mark shifted his eyes, trying to come up with an answer. "Um…They decided to leave early at the last second. Had no time to tell you or send that money that I owe you from poker, Hehe."

Jack waved him off. "Forget about the cash. I've found another, much easier way fer ya to pay me back."

Mark raised an invisible eyebrow. "What is it?"

Jack pointed behind him at the teen who was half wobbling and half running. Mark examined the teen in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding."

"He needs a ride, that's all. Trying to find some family of his." Jack examined.

"Isn't that always the story, huh?" Mark said in a bored voice, giving a sidelong glance at no one in particular.

"Well, if ya don't want to pay me by favor, then I'll still have the cash."

That froze the marten in his tracks. He slapped a paw over his eyes. "Fine. But he better not give me any trouble."

"Thanks, partner!" Jack yelled as the train started to pick up speed. Mark went back inside as Jack urged Luke to hurry up. Feeling very much like a hobo, Luke sprinted past the last carts and grabbed onto the side of the box cart's entry. Using his momentum, he swung his leg up and pulled the rest of his body up, despite the pain from his wounds.

Messaging his bandage arm, Luke leaned out to see the rabbit falling behind. He was going to miss Jack. Even though this movie wasn't really great, Jack himself was. He helped Luke without asking for anything in return. The boy wished he could repay the rabbit for his kindness, but could only wave him good-bye as the train speed off. "Good-bye, Jack! Thanks for everything!"

"Good-bye, kid! Take care and good luck finding your-" A dust bush came by and Jack accidently got himself tangled up comically. Luke winced upon watching it, frowning.

Jack raised a paw up. "I'm ok! This happens all the time!"

Luke brought his head back in and slid the door shut, locking the latch down. Leaning his back against the wall, he let himself slide down and dropped his bag on the floor. Now that he had some peace and quiet, Luke realized just how exhausted he was. He almost drifted off there and then, but a voice erupted his peace.

"Hey, buddy."

Luke opened his eyes to see the weirdest creature he's seen in his entire life standing on its hunches. It was just as tall as a cat, but smaller in shape with gray fur and wearing a red, tattered scarf with a matching set of goggles lined with black atop its head. The long bushy tail swishing around reminded Luke of a squirrel's, but thinner like a cat's. A frown was set up its elongated face, whiskers sticking out on either side of its pointed nose. It glared its ambers eyes at Luke. "You gonna sit there like an idiot or follow me?"

Luke ignored the comment. "Um, yeah. Say, what are you?" He asked as Mark scurried up the cargo on all fours.

"I'm a None-of-ya." He stopped in mid-climbing and leaned over a trunk's edge at Luke. "As in, none of ya business! But if you must know who I am, well, just call me Mark. Everyone does. Now come on before we get spotted. Into the cargo jungle, kid!" He disappeared over the mound of stuff with Luke following him. Getting to the top, Luke's foot slipped on a ball and he went crashing down, landing in a pile of costumes. Pain seared his stomach, but bit his lip to keep from screaming. He started to get up, but his backpack dropped on his back which pushed him back down.

"Hey, stop goofing around." Mark walked over and stood in front of Luke's face. "Despite this being circus property, we can't play around here or else you might be caught."

"And I was having a blast." Luke grunted, getting up.

Mark scowled. "Just try not to set the fireworks off, kid."

"My name is Luke."

The marten waved him off, dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. C'mon, I'll show ya where you'll be sleeping."

They continued climbing over chests and other items, Mark with ease and agility while Luke was slower due to being human. Luke ducked under a ripped tarp as Mark entered it and stopped at the doorway. Inside was like the inside of a giant child's fort with a deflated ball, an old popcorn maker, a chest full of fabrics, and a miniature set of a tight rope display with a hammock between the poles. Mark proudly stood next to Luke's leg, head held high and paws on his hips. "Home, sweet home." He said and looked up at Luke. "Impressive, huh?"

"Nothing I've seen before that's for sure." Luke mumbled.

Smiling smugly, Mark briskly climbed up to his makeshift bed before stretching out his limbs. "Well, you can bunk in the trunk."

Luke glanced at the chest, not sure it was big enough for him. "How about a hammock?"

Mark snorted, using his scarf as a makeshift blanket and hanging up his goggles. "Pal, the only hammock there is here is the one I'm in, and you wouldn't exactly fit. Now good night. When we arrive at the nearest town that'll be your stop and you'll need to be alert when jumping off if the train doesn't stop."

Luke sighed and tried to make himself as comfortable as he could, using his bag as a pillow. He silently said a prayer and drifted off into a dreamless sleep, his worries and aches melting away.

* * *

**Freak: ~Running away train never looking back.~**

**Myst: I've always wanted to write about a guy jumping on a train like a hobo since I saw Shawn and Gus do it. Best duo of crime detective agency ever!**

**Freak: We apologize for any grammar mistakes or confusion from reading this chapter. If you feel nauseated, light-headed, or in the mood to watch Home on the Range, contact your doctor. **

**Myst: Gwydion is actually from the book if you are all wondering. Found him in the first book we did.**

**Freak: Yes, but Mark belongs to us. Copyrights speaking.**

**Myst: Well, we are tired, achy, and Freak needs to took her medication. **

**Freak: And it's not for the head injury.**

**Both: Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Myst: Hey everyone. Sorry we took a bit long with this.**

**Freak: We had a case of attention captured by other people's stories. **

**Myst: But, thanks to yeahIwentthere69, we have a short chapter out.**

**Freak: We would have made it longer, but we thought you people suffered waiting long enough.**

**Myst: So we do not own Disney. Nor Prince Gwydion. He's from the Prydain Chronicles. **

**Freak: So go ahead and enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Kyra laid on her side, fruitlessly sawing at her bonds with a metal nail viler she found in her pocket. Gwydion hadn't said anything to her expect Horned Freak would most likely kill her. She tried to explain to him that she got here by accident, but he just kept silent as the grave. Things were not going well. And on top of that, she was getting tired.

Her arms ache so much and her eye lids felt so heavy. She started to drift off, forgetting about getting free. Kyra closed her eyes and snuggled into the folds of her arms.

'_Wait a minute.'_

Her eyes snapped open and swiveled to her hands. They were free. She sat up abruptly, still staring at her hands. "It worked!" she breathed, feeling a bit giddy. Looks like her hard work and keeping her nails perfect (one of the few girly habits she has) finally paid off. Rubbing the rope burns on her wrists, Kyra stood up with renewed purpose.

Now all she had to do was find that secret panel in the floor and get out of this place. Going on hands and knees, she searched for any clue of the passage: a loose rock, a breeze, anything. It would be so much easier if that princess was here, just to left up the stupid trap door. What if it can only be open from the outside? In her frustration, Kyra pounded on a random stone.

_Thump!_

Her blow caused the small part of the floor to sink crookedly and possibly broken her hand. But she focused on her discovery, lifting it out by the crevice and placing it beside her. Down below, there wasn't much light and getting down didn't look like it'll be easy, but she'll have to take her chances.

Kyra was about to jump down, hanging her legs over the edge when she remembered something.

_The prince._

She turned her head back to Gwydion who was fast asleep, looking like a puppet with his strings tangled up. What would happen to him if she left him behind? Would he die, go through unspeakable torture? She couldn't just leave him to die in this awful place.

Exhaling deeply, she got up and went over to him. On closer inspection, he didn't really look like he was of royal blood. The clothes he wore were a plain shirt, brown pants, and a traveling cloak. The pendant around his neck stood out though; a simple golden disk that she assumed represented the sun. Kyra examined his restraints, seeing that it had a small keyhole on each wrist manacles. Trying to think of how to prick the locks, she grabbed the top part of her head and felt something metal in her hair. Taking it out, her hand held up a bobby pin.

"That'll work," she whispered, and starting picking at the lock.

Gwydion opened his eyes, blinking when he heard a clink and his wrist falling to his side. Baffled, he turned his head to see the girl already working to free his other hand. "What are you doing?"

"Getting us out of here," she answered, twisting the pin around the lock.

"Why?"

"Because I got tired of waiting for someone to rescue us."

"No, I mean-why are you helping me?"

"Because we are in this together and I can't just abandon you here." The clasp came opened and Gwydion rubbed his sore wrist. "Look, I know you don't really trust me for some whatever reason. But we are in the same situation and if we have any hope of getting out alive, we need to work together. I still need to find my brothers, and you probably have people looking for you, so please. You don't have to trust me, just escape out of this hellhole with me. What do you say?"

He looked at the young girl, surprised. Then he smirked, taking her hand she offered to help him stand up. "Alright. Deal."

"Good." She dragged him over to the hole and swung her legs over the edge. "Let's get out of here already."

Then she let herself fall down.

* * *

Adrian landed the solar surfer outside bamboo fields of a town, hiding it somewhere secret. When he came back, he and Garnet walked an hour until they were inside the town.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Garnet asked, gazing around the buildings and structural architecture as they walked almost as if they were strolling through the village. Meanwhile, Adrian kept his face hidden under a fedora with only his mouth showing.

Adrian halted, checking left and right for any preying eyes that could be watching. Then he reached inside his cloak and brought forth what looked like coiled rope. "I'm meeting up with a client, as I have said before."

"Client?" Garnet raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." With a loud clap, he brandish out the rope. It wasn't rope, it was a whip!

Garnet stared in amazement as Adrian lashed the whip towards the top of the wall and the secured itself to a latch. Adrian braced his feet against the wall and climbed up, silently. He swung himself over the edge and coiled the whip back into his coat.

Garnet snapped out of it when he realized Adrian forgot him. "Hey! What about me?"

"You are going to wait for me until I come back," Adrian instructed. He didn't forget him, he wanted Garnet not to follow.

"That's not fair!" Garnet protested. "I want to come too!"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "It's just some business I have to do on my own. Not with a kid." He pointed at some crates nearby. "Hide in those boxes and don't say a word. I'll be back."

With that, he ducked into the shadows, disappearing from view. Even though Garnet was miffed, he couldn't help but think Adrian was like a younger version of Indiana Jones with Assassin Creed mixed in. _'It would have been cool to meet Mulan and Mushu, though,' _Garnet thought with a sad expression. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he went over to where Adrian directed him to and noticed how it piled up almost to the top of the wall, close enough for him to climb up. Garnet smiled mischievously.

Meanwhile, Adrian made his way over the property to the garden like a shadow, the night windy with a gentle breeze. Crossing under an arch, he saw a young woman sitting on a bench under a cherry blossom tree, its branches swaying in the breeze.

"Fa Mulan."

Mulan looked up to see a dark-clothed teen standing before her. He bowed respectfully to her. "My apologies for being late, I had some difficulties in obtaining the royal artifact."

"You didn't get hurt, did you?" Mulan asked concerned.

Adrian brought out a wrapped package from his bag. "It was nothing I couldn't handle. Here, make sure the Emperor gets that."

"Why not give it to him in person?" Mulan asked, holding the package. "You have done so much for China; finding lost artifacts, catching highwaymen, even stopping that assassination once. The Emperor would very much wishes to meet you."

Adrian bowed his head. "I do not wish to be rewarded nor known. My actions are for my own purposes. But tell me, is there anything else I could do?"

Mulan gestured for him to sit beside her. "I've heard something about robbers scouting the road in the mountains."

Adrian sat. "I'm listening."

While Mulan was talking to Adrian, Garnet had gotten himself over the Fa's wall and was exploring they property. He was crossing over a bridge when he saw a little temple on a slope hill. The Guardian Temple.

'_That's where Mushu lives!"_

Excited, Garnet ran across the nicely trimmed grass and into the beautifully carved temple. Inside, tombstones stood around the walls with a gong laying abandon on the floor. There were no ghosts, but no Mushu either. Garnet frowned and picked up the gong off the floor, examining it. Then he yelped when he saw his reflection.

He was glowing.

The gong felled to the floor with a loud boom. A shimmer filled the silence as the tombs started to glow. Garnet ran before the spirits saw him, tripping on the last step and scampering to his feet. He stopped, hiding behind the statue of a dragon, panting. What just happened back there? Why was his reflection glowing?

Swallowing, he slowly lifted a shaky hand into his line of vision. And saw...no glow. His hand was completely normal. And so was the rest of him.

"Who's out there?"

Garnet whirled around to see a red dragon marching out, ranting and raving.

"What 'cha doin' bargin' into the temple and wakin' the whole dead up? If it's you, Little Brother, I'm gonna whack you upside the head. I oughta-" Mushu froze when Garnet came out of hiding. They stared at each other in disbelief. Garnet smiled meekly and waved.

"Hi?"

Then the little dragon went berserk. "MUUULLLAAN!"

He speeded past the boy and past the archway, calling the young warrior's name. Deciding that he better go before Adrian finds out he disobeyed orders, Garnet rushed to back to the wall.

* * *

Beneath the castle of the Horned King, Gwydion and Kyra crept along the catacombs. Firelight flickered along the walls as if they were dancing with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. They walked over debris and could hear rats scampering about. Kyra gave a shutter and gritted her teeth. She does NOT like rats. Gingerly, they crept down a stone staircase, lightly shifting their weight in an effort to not make a sound. Somewhere on ahead of them, a faint noise sounded.

"Shh!" Prince Gwydion urgently said under his breath. He grabbed Kyra's arm and dragged her behind a wall. Right when they were safely hidden out of view, a large door down the hallway opened.

"What was that?" Kyra whispered, more to herself than to him. Gwydion curiously peered around the corner and saw three heavily armored brutes marching through it. Gwydoin heard Kyra gulp next to her and turned to face her.

"Oh wow! Those guys look so much bigger in person," Kyra's voice had a hint of panic.

"Err... I don't know what you're talking about, but those guys have enough weapons to stop an entire raid," Gwydion replied.

"Don't suppose you have a plan to get passed those guys?" Kyra asked quizzically.

"Well, I was hoping you would have an idea," he grinned back.

"Hey! I already got us out of the dungeon. It's your turn to start pulling the weight!" Kyra snapped back, but still managed to keep her voice low.

"Ok, ok," Gwydion chuckled and then said more seriously when they heard the guards' footsteps approach, "I'm going to create a distraction. And when I do, I want you to run through that door and find a way out."

"But what about you?" Kyra sounded concerned.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

He then stepped out from the shadows and revealed himself to the guards. One shouted and they all followed him, chasing him back up the stairwell and down a corridor. Kyra was sad to see her new friend go, but when she no longer could hear the shouts from the guards, she briskly walked down towards the large, doubled doors. It led into a small room that had hay scattered along the floor, a smaller chandler with small candles hanging down from the ceiling, and a wooden table off to the side. Kyra almost screamed when she saw her bag on the table with a small, green creature roughly rummaging through it.

* * *

**Freak: If anyone can guess who has her bag, will get a digital cookie. Whatever that is.**

**Myst: As you can see Luke didn't show up, and probably won't for next chapter.**

**Freak: So review. It encourages us.**

**Myst: Otherwise, we take forever to update.**

**Freak: And thanks again to yeahIwentthere69. You rock!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Kyra straightened up and returned to leaning her back against the wall. Her mind raced frantically searching for an idea of what to do next. Out of nowhere, see saw a flash and turned back to face the creature. It was violently blinking it's eyes and, after shaking its head, threw a metallic object over its head. It landed in Kyra's hand and after fumbling a little, she saw that it was her cell phone. On the screen was a picture of what she guessed to be its nose. She slide it into her pocket which was empty except for the pepper spray she had completely forgot about. Sucking in some cold, damp air, she bravely wrapped her fingers around the plastic container of pepper spray and emerged from her hiding spot. The thing was still rummaging through her bag, taking out some lipstick and eating the red substance only to spit it out seconds later.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She boldly stated, trying to sound intimidating.

He jumped back at the sound of her voice and turned to face her. His warty green skin was draping around two eyes, one more so than the other making his left appear bigger. Red lipstick was smudged all across his mouth, making it look like blood was dripping out from between his sharp teeth. The two stared at each other for a moment, then each let out a deafening scream; she because of his ugly face and him because of the mysterious glow that now engulfed her.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Her arm shot up and she pepper sprayed him directly into that enormous eye. While he was clutching his eye in agony, she snatched her bag and ran down the hall towards the exit. Creeper was busy wiping at his tearing eyes, but was still able to notice her leave with the bag of strange objects. He reached a hand out after her, and whinnied out in sadness.

"My-my precious,"

Then in a more commanding tone he shouted for the guards, "After her! Prisoner escaping! After HERRRR!"

* * *

Flying high above the China mountains, Adrian and Garnet were on the solar surfer heading towards their next destination. After Adrian had finished talking with Mulan, he went over the wall to see Garnet halfway climbing down the wall. That, plus a screaming miniature dragon, made Adrian suspect that Garnet had went off on his own little adventure on the Fa's estate. He was still scolding the little boy for it as he parked the surfer on a mountain ridge.

"Next time I tell you to do something," he said as he turned off the engine.

"I'm sorry!" Garnet interrupted, "I just wanted to see Mushu. I always get left behind because I'm small. Luke and Kyra always got to have all the fun. I just wanted to have fun for once and be one of the big kids!" Garnet slumped over and began to pout.

"This stuff is 'fun'. It's work," Adrain replied. "All this stuff is very important and could be what determines the future of this realm."

Adrian then hopped off the solar surfer and turned around to say "Now STAY put this time", but after seeing the sadness of the little boy's face he let out a sigh.

"Ok fine, you can come. But when I tell you to run and hide, you do it. Capiche?

Garnet nodded enthusiastically and quickly hopped down to follow him. They walked down a trail until they were in front of a cave entrance. They crouched low in some bushes and Adrian whispered instructions to Garnet. When he finished, he handed him a bundle, stood up, and walked towards the cave's entrance. Garnet watched after him, a puzzled look upon his face.

* * *

His voice echoed down the seemingly endless hallways as Kyra ran, not caring where she was going. She turned around a corner and shrieked as a grotesque statue leered at her, causing her to take another way through a doorway. Her feet almost slipped on something, causing her to flounder wildly. Looking down, she saw bones scattered around, blood staining the floor. Terrified, she backed up until she hit something. Turning her head, she came face to face with a dead skeleton chained to a torture machine with a lute hanging off his neck. Screaming, she rushed out of there, panic clouding her judgment by the minute. Her heart pounded like a bass drum, blood rushing to her face and her breathing coming up in gasps. Bats flew past her suddenly, hitting her in the face and upper body, obscuring her view.

Kyra jumped out of the horde and into an adjoining hallway, rolling across the floor. Panting, she sat up, scrapped up and frightened. Calming herself down, she leaned against the wall to get her bearings. Then a war axe wedged itself an inch where her hand was, startling her. Up ahead, was a muscular man clad in animal skins with a feral scowl on his face. And he was coming her way!

Kyra hurriedly stood up, using the wall to pull herself up. Her fingertips brushed open air and she look to see she was in front of a window. She distantly remembered something about people trapped in a burning building jumping out of four stories windows to escape with their lives. The price: a broken limb or more. But maybe she could climb down the side. Seeing the guard almost upon her, she jumped up to the ledge and hung off the other side. Feet dangling, she searched the wall under her for a foothold when a yell caught her attention and saw the ugly brute's face above her. Kyra screeched when he tried to grab her, letting go of the sill in the process.

She was falling down, arms flailing like she was desperately trying to fly. As the ground rushed closer, she closed her eyes shut-

And found herself landing in a stack of hay.

Kyra sat up, stunned that she survived that. Her hair had hay poking out of her head like quills on a porcupine. "Thank goodness for those random cushions in this world." She muttered, looking back up at the window she'd fallen from. The giant of a guy yelling profanities at her.

Shaking the hay off, she dashed out into the courtyard. And found at least a dozen burly, fur-clothed men. She groaned.

"This is not my day!"

Then, as if someone had sent off a signal, they charged at her with weapons raised. Screaming, Kyra ran to the other way, bag flying behind her. Twenty feet ahead and she felt a meaty grip on her arm. Instinctively, her arm shot out. The giant screamed in pain, letting her go to run while he clutched at his eyes. "So glad I took this with me," Kyra panted, briefly looking at the pepper spray.

* * *

Garnet watched after him, a puzzled look upon his face. The instruction Adrain had given him kept echoing in his mind. _"Stay here quietly. If for any reason, I'm not back in thirty minutes, light these babies up and throw them in the cave_." Garnet stared down at the bundle he had handed to him and peeked inside. He saw at least a dozen thick sticks with a red and yellow striped pattern on them. He grinned deviously when he realized they were firecrackers.

Meanwhile, Adrian stealthily crept along the walls, his hood up and masking his face. If someone was to look in his direction, they wouldn't see him in the shadows. At the end of a passageway, were two men with a gray tint in their skins and both staring into the fire with their backs to him. If Adrian could just knock out one, He could take down the other one easily. Taking out his Khopesh swords, he quicken his pace as he came closer to them.

With a swift thrust, he slammed the handle of his blade into the back of the one guy's head. His leg immediately gave out and he crumbled to the floor with a loud thud. The noise alerted the other to turn around and when he did, Adrain grabbed his enormous head and twisted it at a ninety degree angle to his right. With a snapping sound, the grunt passed out. With both men unconscious, Adrain stepped over his "job well done" and continued down farther into the cave.

After he walked about a hundred feet, he could see light from a small fire flickering up on the cave wall. As he quietly sneaked closer, he began to hear a deep male voice, anger apparent as he spoke to his comrades. Adrain peeked around a corner and saw a huge stone room filled with about fifty Huns. Way more than he initially predicted. The enraged voice he had heard was coming from a thick, muscular man with slits for eyes that were blacker than coal. It was Shan Yu, the Huns' merciless leader with a bloodlust known by all in China. Adrain was high up in a crevice where he could see without being seen, which was perfect for eavesdropping.

Shan Yu continued talking to his men in Hunnish, a language that Adrain unfortunately had yet to master. He was only able to identify a few words, something about a machine, a prisoner, and a key which were all essential for his finally conquest of China. Adrain was so focused on trying to translate the Hun's words, that he failed to notice how much time had passed and was finally snapped to by the hastily outburst of a guard running up to Shan Yu. He spoke frantically in the native language and a look of concern came across Shan Yu's face. He shouted orders to his men and they dispersed out in multiple directions, running into passageways. Adrain smiled at his good luck and figured now was a good time to try to sneak back out undetected while the Huns were preoccupied. He went back the way he came and found himself in the room where he took out those two guards. He stopped abruptly when he heard the familiar angry voice of Shan Yu, full rage now erupted out of his mouth. He, along with three other guards, were looking down at the two motionless bodies.

"_Crap_," Adrain whispered under his breath. Just then, someone from behind him grabbed his shoulder and pushed him out into the open. The Huns made a surprise jester when they saw the boy fall to his knees. They smiled behind him and, when Adrain flipped his head back to see what had pushed him, he saw another Hun stepping towards him, returning their villainous smiles.

* * *

Garnet sat where Adrain had left him for almost a half an hour now, twirling a twig in his fingers out of boredom.

"What's taking him so long?" Garnet wandered.

He was beginning to get really nervous and couldn't help but worry that something had happened. It hadn't exactly been thirty minutes yet, like Adrain had told him it would take, so Garnet continued sitting there, waiting for his friend's silhouette to emerged for the cave's entrance. Five minutes had passed, then ten and still no sign of him. When Garnet's watch read forty after, he jumped down from his hiding spot and made his way towards the stone opening. He was nervous, and his heartbeat had quickened, but he never shown any apprehension for what he was doing. He enter the cave without hesitation and ventured down a poorly lit passage way, excited for his chance to taste some adventure.

* * *

The Huns were a brutal and barbaric clan. War was their passion and torture their favorite pass time. It was rumored that they once set a prisoner on fire because he refused to provide them with any useful information. Another, who had assisted them in the infiltration of an armory in exchange for his release, was killed anyway, his body hung up on the armory's flag pole. Shan Yu wanted them to know who had betrayed them as well as send them a message. As you can see, torture is one of their most prized skills that they possess. They were ecstatic when they saw another opportunity to showcase their talents.

They shoved Adrain into a secluded area of the cave and, with great aggression I might add, forced him into a wooden chair that sat on the middle of the floor. They hurriedly fastened rope around his wrists and angles. Tightening them so the scratchy material dug deeply into his skin, causing him to cry out in pain. His lip was bleeding profusely and his one tooth was loose from the guards beatings. After he was caught, Shan Yu ordered his men to attack him, pinning him against the wall while they took turns swinging punches and kneeing him in the gut.

The pain Adrain now felt was so great that he failed to notice Shan Yu smiling down at him. Only when he cleared his throat did Adrain look up, lifting his head slowly. Despite his weakened body and numerous injures, Adrain still managed to try to break free from the bonds. He jerked towards him angrily, wanting so bad to kill him where he stood. Shan Yu chuckled amusedly at Adrain's pointless attempts, causing Adrain's body to fill up with hatred. Shan Yu leaned in closer and, in a calm manner that mocked Adrain, asked him who he was. Adrain remained silent. Shan Yu repeated his question, this time with much more hostility. Adrain spat in his face and then smiled when Shan Yu, with great annoyance, wiped at his eye. He stood back, and then shouted towards a guard in Hunnish. Adrain saw the man hand his boss a jagged and roughly-edged sword. He turned back towards the teen and kneeled down in front of him.

"Tell me who you are and what your purpose for being here is."

Shan Yu said with a voice so stern and so sinister that it would have made most people shiver. Adrain though was just as stubborn and continued silently glaring at him. Shan Yu brought the blade of the sword up to Adrain's tied hand. It delicately hovered over his left index finger.

"Tell me what I want to know, or I will individually chop off every single finger you have. And if I run out, I will move to your toes."

Adrain was unmoved by this man's threats and cooly replied in his challenging manner,

"Bring it on."

* * *

**Myst: We would like to apologize for the long wait.**

**Freak: But we hope it was worth it!**

**Myst: Plz leave a comment, reviews, or PM us suggestions-**

**Freak: Or try to guess what happens next :)**

**Myst: And be sure to watch out for the Jabberwocky.**

**Freak: ... And Twinkies...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Who are you?" A threaten looking man dressed in animal furs that one would assume him himself fashioned said in a calm tone. He was talking to a teenage boy, about sixteen years old, with light ash-brown hair and a bleeding lip. He did not reply to the question, only sat in the chair he was bonded to in a defiant silence.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" The man's bellows echoed through the cave, bouncing off its walls. Up in one of the many crevices, a young boy watched with wide eyes. He became rigid when another of the burly men handed the angry man a crooked sword that he brought towards the prisoner, kneeling down.

"Tell me who you are and what your purpose for being here is."

The sinister voice made a shiver travel down the boy's spine. When it was apparent that the teen wasn't going to offer an answer, the scary man placed the sword above his index finger. The boy gulped and heard the man say hushed and with much sadistic pleasure,

"Tell me what I want to know, or I will individually chop off every single finger you have. And if I run out, I will move to your toes."

The teen looked up to face his captor; a few blonde hairs fell from in front of his eyes,

fierce determination in them. He opened his mouth in a final response. His voice was even and his dry tone mimicked his captor's.

"Bring it on," was all he said.

The little boy felt panic rise up inside his stomach and, as of instinctively, shouting out towards the Huns.

"HEY, HUN-NEY BUN! OVER HERE!"

The confused Huns looked over in the direction of the voice when the spotted a small child up in a crevice. They smiled at him, but that smile quickly disappeared when it hurtled towards them came a red and yellow stripped stick. One of the Huns caught it and stared at it confused. Shan Yu recognized it as one of those pestering firecrackers that took him the last time he tried to take over China. Fearful, he shouted in Hunnish for the man to get rid of the thing. But it was too late. It exploded with a loud BOOM and caused them to fly backwards. Soon, more of them showered down at them, randomly exploding and zipping through the air. Shan Yu was facing the ground with his hands protectively covering his head, when a small hand bent over and grasped the handle of his sword. He looked up to see the child, struggling to manage the heavy weapon, now glowing a faint blue.

"The child from the legend..." he whispered, voice in awe and face serious. The little boy ran over to help his friend, using the blade to cut him free. Shan Yu tried to stand up to stop him, but a whizzing firecracker launched him thirty feet in the opposite direction. When the chaos ceased, the two were long gone.

Adrain and Garnet ran through the cave until they saw dawn's light peeking through its entrance. They reached it quickly and rushed over to the solar surfer. While shoving aside branches, a screeching came from above them, making them stop to look up. Down swooped a hawk, a pet of Shan Yu's, that knocked over Adrain and then proceeded to attack Garnet. Its beak peaked violently into Garnet's chest and its talons scratched his face and neck. Garnet fruitlessly thrashed his arms about in an attempt to stop the bird's attacks. Adrain, meanwhile, stood up and snapped off one of those branches. He swung it at the brown blur, hitting it like a baseball into a bush. Injured, it flew away. Adrain reached out his palm for Garnet to grab and pulled him up.

"Thanks," Garnet said to him.

"No, I should thank you. You saved my life... again," Adrain said sincerely. Garnet, proud of himself, smiled. The two boys walked over to the solar surfer and hopped up on it. Adrain revved up its engine, but before they started moving, he turned to face Garnet.

"Hun-ney bun?" Adrain had a quizzical look on his face.

"I've always wanted to say that," Garnet replied. Adrain gave him an approving smile,

"Look who's one of the big kids now," And Garnet smiled back at him.

* * *

Kyra stopped to a halt, facing a dead end. Spinning around, her pursuers were trailing behind and making their way closer and closer. Quickly, she examined her surroundings in search of something to help her. A pitchfork was leaning against the stable wall and, once Kyra had spotted it, grabbed it and stood it her defensive stance. Obviously, she was way outnumbered, but there was no way she was going down without a fight. The shouts grew louder and louder, and grip on the wooden handle tightening. She closed briefly, saying a quick prayer, and then reopen them in time to see the front of the mob come into view.

They were almost upon her when the stable doors broke open, wood splintering everywhere. A magnificent white stallion galloped through the door and veered over in her direction. Kyra sighed in relief when she saw Gwydoin perched up on the saddle. Smiling down at her, he reached out his hand. She grabbed it anxiously and he hoisted her up. She sat safely and comfortably behind him as he snapped the reigns, signaling his steed to move forward and escape then now panicking crowd.

They traveled over the draw bridge and far out into the countryside. About five miles out, and when they were sure they hadn't been followed, Gwydoin slowed his horse to a stop and they jumped down off it.

"Looks like I got us out of that mess just in time." Gwydoin said proudly. Kyra rolled her eyes at him.

"Haha, I'm only joking... You helped a little, too," he offered her a smile, but she scowled at him.

"Gee, glad I could be of service," she replied flatly. He continued chuckling. "But thanks for helping me escape, even though I probably would have on my own anyway," Now she began to smile.

"Yeah, you had them right where you wanted them. Eating out of the palm of your hands. Tell me, what were you planning to do with that pitchfork? Do some stable work before they locked you back up in the dungeon?"

Kyra grimaced, "Haha, very funny. Well, if you're messing around, could you point me to the nearest bus stop?"

"That depends, what's a bus stop?" Gwydoin answered, stroking the horse's head.

"Just tell me how to get out of here," Kyra exasperated.

"Hmmm... I can take to Randy. He's a very wise dwarf who might know how to get you back in your own world."

"Not without my brothers."

"Well, I'm sure he could help you with that, too."

Kyra hesitated, but after a moment she clasped her hands together and said with enthusiasm, "Okay, let's do this thing!"

* * *

Creeper slowly hobbled down a grand, stone staircase. He was muttering nervously to himself, scared at what the bad news he had would bring.

"Oh Sire," he spoke to no one, "please do not wring my neck for this."

He continued muttering to himself as he approached a tall double door entrance with red light spilling out of the slightly cracked opened door. He peered in to see his master sitting in his throne, facing away from him so the only thing Creeper could see was his hand, skeletal with long, sharp fingernails. Creeper gulped, and made his way over to face him.

The Horned King spoke with his raspy, echoing voice, "Ah Creeper, it's so nice to be back home after these many weeks. I trust all has been well?" he asked his faithful minion. Creeper began fidgeting and stuttering, trying to prolong the hurt that was inevitable. "I've heard news of a new prisoner. One that glows." The Horned King continued. "I've been looking forward to meeting our mysterious new guest."

"Well...uh...yes Sire...I...uh...wanted to talk to you...uh...about that," Creeper's fear had reached its apex.

"Go on," The Horned King was hanging on to every word his minion sputtered out.

"Well, uh...it seems she escaped...with the help of the prince..."

with that, The Horned King's hand clutched tensely, and the flames in the fireplace grew In size and shot out, mirroring his anger. Creeper hid behind the chair, cowering and trying to avoid being burned.

"Well, then. It seems will just have to go after the brat," The Horned King calmly said, the flames now retracting back to their original size and color. "Send the gwythaints to find her. Find her," he barked the order at the henchman. Creeper ran out of the room, down the corridor, and towards gwythaints' cages.

In a much lower voice, The Horned King said to himself, "Find her, before the others do."

* * *

_The crowd cheered and did the wave as a voice announced over a speaker._

_"And it's all tied up in the last inning of the game. Two more outs and the Thunderbirds have won the State Championship! The count is two strikes two balls. Can the Thunderbirds' pitcher: number twelve, Luke Lockwood, get him out?"_

_Luke was standing the pitcher mound in the school's black and yellow uniforms, planning out his next pitch. As he brought his hand to his glove, he quickly glance at the runner on third, making sure his lead wasn't too far. He returned his gaze to the batter at home plate, an average looking kid with a slender torso and a height of about 5'11. He threw a slider down the middle and his heart skipped a beat when the batter swung his bat. He let out the air he was holding in when the bat missed the ball. The umpire shouted out, "Strike three, you're out!" and Luke smiled in satisfaction._

_Only one more batter left, he could handle this. Winning the State Championship was something Luke wanted more than anything else in the world. He loved baseball, not for any other reason than the fact that his father had loved baseball. Back when he was alive, he would take him to practice his swing and when Luke made the team, his dad was extremely proud of him; he would have been even if he didn't make the team. Luke continues to play now as a way to honor his beloved father._

_Luke turned to face his next batter (or next victim, as he should say) and, as the voice on the speakers announce the battery's name, Luke froze where he stood, staring down towards home plate. "Ladies and gentlemen, batting for the Delaware Devils, number six hundred and sixty-six, Michael Lockwood. Luke stared, mouth opened and wide-eyed, down at his deceased father._

_"Dad?" Luke looked at him in disbelief._

_"Hello, Lukey. Long time, no see," his face was cold and expressionless._

_"But...you were dead," Luke was confused, remembering the funeral and the lifeless copse in his father's casket._

_"No, Luke. I am not dead...but you are."_

_Just then, Luke's stomach throbbed, a piercing pain that felt like he got stabbed. He doubled over in pain. His right arm, his pitcher arm, began to bleed. He screamed out in pain and fell to his knees. When he opened his eyes, he saw a bullet in the dirt and looked back again at home plate. His father began to glow, similar to the way he does, but the color was all wrong. instead of a faint blue, black and violent purple emitted from him in an orb. Soon his eyes turned red, and his smile grew into a devilish grin of sharp, jagged fangs. The body was no longer that of his father, no longer that of a human's. It transformed into a cloud of condensed black smoke, its tendrils swirling out towards Luke. The red eyes continued to stare at him, paralyzing him with fear. The ground began to shake violently, and then moved towards the demon, causing Luke to move towards it as well. He tried to crawl away, but his wounds crippled him. The smoke began to engulf him until everything around him was replaced with black nothingness._

Luke awoke in cold sweat, panting and hyperventilating.

* * *

**Myst: Dun Dun Dun!**

**Freak: Wow look at that Myst, two updates in ONE DAY!**

**Myst: I know right!**

**Freak: Think of it as our little Labor Day gift to y'all.**

**Myst: Awww ain't we nice?**

**Freak: The nicest :)**

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**Myst: Hey that rhymed! :) But a bit extreme and totally false.**


	8. Chapter 8

**IT'S BACK! I have finally updated this story! Super sorry it took so long. For those who don't know, Freak was put into an mental hospital. So I have been writing alone withsome additional outside help from authors of this site. I ownnothing, but my OCs. On to the chapter.**

**Oh! And before I forget, check out the poll I have up and vote. It's for this story. If you don't vote, I will not continue.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

In the early hours of morning, Luke stared up at the ceiling thinking about that horrible dream he had and that prevented him from going back to sleep. It felt so real and vivid, like he actually felt that pain. Luke shook his head. It was just a dream. But seeing Michael Lockwood in that dream stirred up some old memories he hadn't thought of in a while.

He smiled a bit at himself, then sighed.

Meanwhile, Mark was snoring softly and drooling slightly. His ear twitched, then his leg, mumbling in his sleep a bit. His ear twitched more, a sound filling it. Alert, his eyes snapped open. The creature bolted up, listening and then sniffing the air. A panicked expression crossed his face, leaping from the hammock to a small hole in his 'fortress'. Peaking through, his eyes widen at the sight of the conductor entering through the door with a small, black bundle of fur with a leash around its neck. A Scottish terrier. A dog.

"Oh no." Mark whimpered.

Luke was so deep in thought that he yelped in surprise when Mark jumped onto his chest. His jerking movements caused the trunk which he was sleeping in to tip sideways a bit. "Wha-?" Mark quickly slapped his paws over Luke's mouth.

"Shhhh! They'll hear you," Mark whispered so low that Luke almost didn't hear him. The teen frowned and sat up, picking the marten up by the scruff of his neck above his scarf.

"Who?"

Both swirled their heads around when they heard the faint sound of a man talking. Luke dropped Mark, who landed nimbly on the chest's side. He looked back at the critter.  
"Who's that?"

"It's Donald Duck!" Mark whispered harshly, grabbing Luke's shirt collar. "The conductor, who else! And he has a dog with him! If they find me, or you, we'll both be kicked off this train!"

"They don't like hobos, then?" Luke sat up then, Mark scurrying onto his shoulder. "They wouldn't just throw us off while we were moving, right?"

The critter pointed a clawed appendage at his face. "For humans, no. But for little guys like me," then his face was in the boy's, grabbing his face. "YES!"

Muffled, the dog barked from the other side scaring the marten so that he froze. Turning his head left to right, Mark leaped off Luke's shoulder and started gathering stuff into a mini-sack. As he scampered around in a silent panic, the creature spoke in a low voice. "You have to hide me! If that dog catches my scent, I'm dead meat. I can't get kick off. Not again. It's only fair that you help me since I helped you."

"You haven't helped me," Luke said simply.

"Hey, I'm helpin' you by finding your family, aren't I? So the least you can do is hide me in your bag and lock yourself into that chest. Don't get caught while you're at it." With that, he crawled up into Luke's bag and zipped the flap closed.

Luke just stood there for a second before he went to hide, but not in the chest. There was no way he could fit in that small place. He was cramped up enough just by sleeping in it. No, he'd just sneaked out the back compartment door and wait out there till the conductor was gone. He carefully moved around the cargo, the conductor's back to him. Just as his hand grasped the handle, he turned to see the dog started barking frantically and tugged at his leash, trying to charge at the intruder. To make matters worse, the conductor also spotted him. "Hey! You there! Who are you? You're not authorized to be here!"

Acting quickly and on the thrill of just getting caught, he yanked the door open and stepped into the open night air, wind blasting into his face. After shutting it quickly, Luke flattened himself against the door and he looked down. The tracks blurred below him as the train speed along them, metal clunking and churning in motion. Gulping, his right hand patted around until it gripped a hold of a metal bar which belonged to a built-in ladder. He hopped onto it and climbed up onto the roof.

Meanwhile, the conductor swung opened the door and rushed into the other car compartment with the dog in his arm, not noticing the foot that disappeared over the roof.

Luke latched himself as tightly as he could to the roof, gripping the metal safety bar until his knuckles turned white. Air rushed past him like a giant fan in a small place, stinging his eyes to the point he could barely keep them open. Immobilized to the spot, Luke lost track of time until he heard something behind him unzipped. "Why aren't we in the chest and inside the cargo cart?" Mark yelled, his claws clinging into the fabric.

"Yeah, the conductor saw me, so I ran up here," Luke hastily explained, starting to feel vertigo creeping in.

"What!" Mark shrieked, "Did you know what you just did? Now they'll be searching the whole train for you. Which means we gotta split up."

"How would that help?"

"I won't get caught with you and I get to stay on the train."

Luke stared at the furry creature with his mouth hanging open as he climbed over his shoulder and started to carefully make his way over the roof. Then words spewed out of his mouth in a rush that made Mark stop and look back. "You're just gonna leave me here! You can't just do that!"

Mark just waved him off, gesturing that Luke should climb back down the ladder. "Just go back into the cargo cart! If the conductor still finds you, at least they'll wait until the next stop to throw you off! Me, I won't be so lucky! Tell you what, if you're not caught I'll came back! But if you value your life, get off the roof!" With that, he started to go again.

Luke, not knowing what he's doing, started to follow him. He crawled along the cool roof, his hands clammy. It was like moving across a frozen lake that was speeding past the ground, the risk of falling making his heart pound crazy. He only got a few inches covered before a voice called out, lost to the roaring of the engine and wind. Then it called out louder.

"STOP!"

Luke turned back to see another conductor, this one a bit bigger than the first one and red in the face, coming up from the ladder. Guess dog guy called for backup to check the roofs or something. Immobilized to the spot, Luke watched as the guy steady himself on the roof, preparing to go after the stowaway when he stopped. Fear and shock crawled across his features and scampered back, hurriedly climbing down the ladder. Luke quirked an eyebrow, confused by the sudden behavior of the conductor. Then he yelled out in surprise as something latched its arms and legs and tail around his neck. "Mark?" Luke spoke out loud, looking down at the trembling creature. "What's wrong?"

Mark pointed a single clawed finger skyward. "That."

Luke gazed upward and gasped. Flapping through the puffy smoke from the train's engine, were human-like beasts enclosed in tendrils of darkness. The had a pale face and torso. Their eyes were not visible under the cloud of smoke that hid their face from the nose up. They were almost impossible to see against the black night sky. Their eyes were red and they had long, slender arms. "What are they?"

"Furies," Mark whimpered, hiding himself into the boy's shirt with his head poking out. "And they happen to have a taste for little guys like me."

One dived down and swooped at them, claws extended. Luke rolled out of the way, the talons tearing through the roof instead. But that movement proved to be fatal as he started to slide off the side. Crying out, his hands fumble around to grab onto something. His hands gripped the edge of the roof as his body went over, hanging on for dear life. Remember when Mufasa was clinging to that cliff with trampling wildebeests below him? That's exactly what Luke was feeling as he glanced down at the rushing ground, knowing instantly that if he let go the chances of survival are slim. He tried to get a foothold, but it was in vain as his feet keep slipping off the side. Mark was digging his claws into Luke's skin at the back of his neck, freaking out and screaming in terror. "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I don't wanna die!"

Luke's life flashed before his eyes in a rushing blur like the train, his clammy hands were losing their grip on the tin rail, his ears were filled with the pounding of his heart and Mark's screams and breathing was growing difficult as the little fur ball on his back was squeezing his thin arms around Luke's neck for dear life. Despite sweating like crazy, he felt an icy chill inside him like snow was blowing through his blood. It all felt like his dream, that dream where everything just changed so quickly to being bad, where he saw his father changed into some kind of monster. It made him feel like time reversed him to a athletic teenager to a scared little kid who just wants his father to hug him and say that everything will be all right. But it wasn't going to happen. As a fury dove towards him, a shrieking cry emitted from its mouth that sounded like nails scratching a chalkboard. Luke squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the claws that would soon enclose around his forearms and carried him away with its flock to who knows where.

He waited. And waited. Then Mark cursed.

Luke opened his eyes to see Mark staring at him with his jaw wide open, shock and disbelief in his eyes. Furrowing his eyebrows together, Luke glanced over his shoulder to see... that the Furies were fleeing. _Wait, what?_

They were flying away to the place where they came from, covering their faces with the arms and crying out in terror. The one that was trying to snatch up Luke had burn marks searing its flesh. Soon they were pinpoints in the horizon before disappearing completely.

Luke blinked. _What just happen?_

Then he saw blue light faintly emitting from his hands.

"AHH!"

Luke was so shocked that he lost his grip. And by some miracle, he didn't get sucked under the tracks. Instead, he found himself rolling wildly down the railroad's slope, kicking up dirt and green in his wake. Everything spun around in his vision like a whirlpool, pain erupting wherever his skin made brief contact with the ground. Then his descent came to an abrupt halt when his body flung into bushes, the sudden weight making the branches snap.

Moaning, he sat up weakly, wincing as he did so. Caressing his midsection, Luke glanced up the hill to see the caboose disappear as the train whistled. All that was left to see was the tracks and the faint pink tracing along the horizon. Remembering that light coming off himself, he glanced down at himself. There were minor tears and scrapes, but no blue glow emitting off him. Lifting his hand in front of his face, he examine it, turning it this way and that, palm up and palm down, as if it was foreign to him. What was happening to him?

Then a thought popped into his head.

"Mark."

Was he-did he got caught under-?

"Down...here..."

Luke looked down to see a crushed Mark underneath his legs.

* * *

"You're a _bloody_ GLOW!" Mark, who was pacing back and forth, shouted at Luke. "No one thought that this would have been some valuable information!"

Luke watched in silence as Mark left off some steam, and at one time he swore he literally saw a puff of white steam escape from his ears.

"What is a glow?" Luke was confused by the word Mark called him.

Mark didn't seem to hear the question and kept on pacing, his eyesight set directly in front of him. "I'm gonna _KILL _that weasel of a rabbit!" He shook his fist in the air. "And _YOU!" _He abruptly turned towards Luke. "After all I did for you! Helping you get on the train and you didn't have the decency to tell me exactly what I was dealing with! YOU COULDA GOTTEN ME KILLED! Mark's furry face had turned red from all his fuming._  
_

"How was I supposed to tell you when I didn't know myself!" Luke defended, getting a bit miffed. "Why was I glowing back there? What was that?"

Mark stared intently at the human before him, a challenging look appeared across his face. "You mean you really don't know?" he asked in disbelief.

"No," Luke answered exasperatingly.

"Well, I'm not that surprised. Your lot isn't that smart," Mark replied thoughtfully. Luke furrowed his brow and frowned at his remarks. "You see kid, in our world, humans from the Other Place glow when they feel intense emotions. When you saw the Furies and experienced fear, you lit up like lights on a Christmas tree on the Fourth of July. You follow me?"

"No..." Luke started at him blankly.

"Point is, you glow," Mark said, "and that makes it easy for the bad guys to spot you out in a crowd. Which means, if I hang around here any longer, I'm as good as dead."

Mark trotted over to Luke's backpack and pulled out his own knapsack. Swinging it over his shoulder, he started for the tracks, but first he turned around to say one last thing to Luke.

"Good luck finding your family, kid," and with that he began his journey to the next town. Luke shouted after him, but Mark kept going, disappearing into the rising sun.

* * *

**Love it? Hate it? Confused? Questions? Review to let me know.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Near the borders of Prydain, Kyra and the prince were resting outside a grove of trees. While Gwydion attended to his steed, Kyra sat on a log and had her cell phone in hand, waving her arm around to try and get a signal.

"Stupid lack of towers." She glared down at the phone. Looks like Operation Just-Call-Luke's-Phone was a bust. Her shoulders sagged as depression replaced her frustration. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. She was really worried about them. What if something happens to one of them and when she got there, it'll already be too late.

Kyra swallowed a thick lump of anxiety as she prayed, looking up at the sky, 'I hope Luke and Garnet are ok.'

For a moment, she stared at the clouds drifting across the vast of blue overhead. Then a streak of black and brown zoomed past her vision, almost hitting her face. She shrieked in surprise, falling backwards off the log and landed on her back. Gwydion whirled around at the noise, immediately seeing the hawk that flew over to him and landed upon his shoulder. Cawing the hawk pecked at its leg, indicating to the note tied there. The prince untied the note and read the contents. When he was finished, the edges of his mouth tugged down and his brow was furrowed. With a cry, the hawk took off. Kyra watched it for a moment from her place on the ground before turning to Gwydion.

"What was that about?"

"I have to get back to Caer Dathyl," Gwydion said, already getting the saddle back on his horse. "It's urgent."

Kyra scrambled to her feet, running up to him. "But what about Randy? You said you'll take me to him."

Gwydion rested his hands on Melyngar's back and sighed. Then he twisted his head to her, looking solemn. "I'll take you to the outskirts of the kingdom. From there, however, you'll have to go on your own."

Her shoulders sagged, but quickly straightened up. "I don't see why you can't take me all the way there seeing as I have no clue of which way to go and then ride heroically to your kingdom to banish whatever kind of evil they need you to slay."

"There isn't any time," he rebuked, finishing his work. "It's either I take you halfway, or we can say good-bye now. You're choice."

Kyra pouted, clenching her hands. She took a breath before giving in. "Fine, but there's something I want answered before we go."

"What's that?"

Kyra looked at him square in the eye. "Why are you scared of me?"

Gwydion's face showed surprise for a split second before returning to normal. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, don't act dumb," Kyra planted her hands on her hips, irritated. "I saw the way you're always tensed around me. You keep glancing over your shoulder when I'm behind you, you had me sit in front of your horse, and back at the cell you sounded freaked out discovering I was from 'the other place.' I just want to know why."

Hesitant on what to say, the prince heaved a sigh. "I can't explain everything, but I will tell you this. Long ago, a group like you had appeared out of nowhere, just materialized from thin air. One was bleeding pretty badly. Before they could get help, the Horned King's men ambushed them and brought them all back to his castle. There, the Horned King discovered something about the Glows-what we call people from the Other Place-from the wounded visitor. The blood had some sort of special power in it. I'm not sure what, but it enhanced anything of magic and strengthens all kinds of spells."

"The Horned King began to experiment with the Glow's blood, filling buckets with every drop from his wound. He actually found a way to lengthened his lifespan-the Horned King was known to have used several different dark spells to stave off death. However, he killed the young man in doing so. It didn't matter to the Horned King, though. He still had plenty of Glows in his possession. What he didn't count on is the glows' escaping from the dungeons."

"Not long after their escape, word began to spread of these people who glow and with blood that powers magic tenfold. Within a week, most were captured by various villains, only four managed to avoid the torment their companions went through."

Kyra felt goose bumps prickled her skin with each sentence. "Didn't anyone tried to help them? One of your heroes maybe?"

He just gave him a seldom look, almost grave. "Some of us good did tried, but it did not turned out well. The kingdoms and lands grew fearful of their knowledge of some of our greatest heroes' lives, and the glows themselves became anxious. They stole some weapons and disappear in the dead of the night. It didn't work well, as I explain before."

"What happened to the ones that were caught?" Kyra asked, but she had an inkling of what their fates were.

Gwydion's eyes cast down. "They either bled to death, tortured to the last strand of their lives, or took their own lives. There were two that managed to escape, both driven mad. One of them almost burnt down a whole town, the other murder a whole family. Meanwhile, with their boost in magic, the villains wrecked havoc and searched for the remaining glows. I can't begin to describe...it was horrific. The King of Disney Castle barely defeated them with the help of his loyal friends. We managed to stop the deranged glows too, trapping them in a barn and setting it ablaze."

"You burned them to death?" Kyra exclaimed, astonished.

"We didn't have a choice," he defended grimly. "They were dangerous and needed to be stop."

"What about the other four?"

He was silent before he gave an answer. "They attempted to go back to their own world. A soldier witnessed the ritual proceeded. With the potions and charms they've stolen and drops of their blood, they performed the spell. An explosion of gray erupted from the fire they've encircled and then, a flash and it was all gone. The campsite, the magic charms, the glows. Vanished."

Hesitantly, Kyra spoke up. "So they made it back?"

Gwydion shook his head. "Nobody knows for sure. Maybe they did, maybe it killed them. All that everyone knew was that the threat of them and their ability to strengthen the villains' power was over."

"But not anymore," Kyra finished, a cold chill sweeping her body. "Because now I'm here. Along with my brothers. My brothers." She staggered back, a hand covering her mouth in horrible realization. If her brothers were in custody of the villains, they would be spilling forth blood like some kind of facet. Same as her if she hadn't escape the dark castle. She looked at the prince, understanding in her eyes.

"If that's why, then I can't waste any time." With purpose, she pushed past Gwydion and climbed up Melyngar's back, swinging her leg across the saddle. "Well, get on. You got a kingdom to get back to and I have to find my brothers."

Momentarily dumbfounded, Gwydion grinned a bit and swung himself on. Taking a hold of the reins, he instructed his steed into a gallop, directing towards the outskirts of Prydain.

* * *

The blistering sun sent down onto a barren wilderness rays of relentless heat. The sand that covered the land felt like molten lava and prevented even the smallest bit of vegetation from sprouting. Even the cacti laid horizontally, withered and brown begging for death to save them from this heat. A silence washed over the deserted plain like waves of water that seemed more like a myth with every passing minute. Even the soft whispers of a cool and gentle breeze were noticeably absent as the heat cunningly took its place in the air. This forsaken world was exactly where Luke found himself now.

After Mark separated from him, Luke decided to follow the train tracks in hope of stumbling across a town. However now, he was beginning to question his actions as he shielded his eyes from the torturous sun beams. Luke lost track of time all together, and wasn't sure if he had been walking for one mile or one hundred. His dry mouth was desperate for a drop of water and the rest of his body felt like a sponge that was left out to fend for itself on the frying sidewalks of a summer afternoon.

Luke's one leg ached and caused him to limp slowly, making him stumble once or twice. Luckily then, he recovered his balance and avoided a painful impact into the fiery sand floor. Unfortunately now, he stumbled yet again and was unable to regain his footing. He fell forwards, fighting gravity the entire way down. The sand was even hotter than he had imagined and it burned the side of his face when he hit the ground. His arms, that he pushed forward to break his fall, were sprawled out in front of him, pushing some sand up into little mounds around him.

Luke lifted his head up slowly and was sure he heard the skin of his forehead and cheeks sizzling like bacon. He was approaching his breaking point. He knew he had to find water soon before the heat fried his brain completely, or worse, he died of dehydration. After he brought himself back to his feet, he looked forward to view the rest of his journey and saw something that made him hold in his breath.

Luke straightened himself up back onto his feet, dusting off the sand that was clinging onto his pants. He looked up to ready himself for the remainder of his long quest when something caught his eye. He froze where he stood, holding his breath in surprise. In view straight ahead, was a small oasis of palm trees all huddled around a pool of crystal blue...

"Water!" Luke thought to himself, his head perked up at once and he made a dash for it. He pushed the green leafy branches obscuring his view to the side and out of the way. He had to bypass a few layers of the jungle until he found himself face to face with the one thing his mind desired at the moment. The pool was still. Unmoving and clear, it resembled a pane of glass masterfully crafted to reflect every shimmer and every glisten. Luke stood at the edge admiring it for a split second then closed his eyes and wrapped the length of his arms around his torso. He pushed off the ground, cannon-balling through the air. When he hit the ground, instead of the cool gush of water he was expecting, he felt heat. He opened his eyes and looked down confused. What he realized made his heart sank. The oasis, the trees, the water were all a mirage brought on by his dehydration. Where he had envisioned splashes of water, he only saw hot sand. The heat that it gave off, the heat he wanted to escape from surrounded him and ensnared him.

After Luke spent a few minutes sitting in the sand defeated, he stood up yet again and continued his quest to follow the train tracks. To his dismay, the temperature never ceased being unbearably high. It was getting to the point where inhaling felt like chugging down a pint of coffee.

He walked and walked for what he assumed was hours...maybe days. He couldn't recall if it was ever night though, the blistering sun seemed like it would continuously spew out onto him heat rays of agony. Maybe he had ventured into a land of no night. No water. No break from the endless torment of the sun.

He walked along, thinking about how he was beginning to get sunburn on the back of his neck when, for a brief instance, there was a break from the light. A shadow came across him, shielded him, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Luke looked up to the sky to see, but nothing was there in the bright cloudless sky. He shrugged to himself and continued forward; tired of the games the desert was playing. That same darkness washed over him, but this time it remained, making Luke actually feel slightly cold in the absence of the sun.

Luke looked up to see his savior. Flying high above him was a bird enormous enough to be mistaken for a plane. It started to descend towards him and Luke could just make out its sharp talons outstretched for him. It was a hungry-looking vulture, excited to finally see something for it to eat. Luke was about to hit the ground running, but then remembered the oasis. Thinking this was just another mirage; Luke ignored it and started walking again. The piercing shrieks of the bird grew louder as it got closer, causing Luke's ears to hurt and him to rethink this whole "bird-is-a-mirage-so-you-won't-die" thing.

The bird was almost upon him, so close that Luke could see himself in its pupils. At the last moment, Luke decided that, mirage or not, he better make a run for it. He leapt out of the way just in thin, the monstrous talons clenched tightly close on empty air. The bird let out an angry cry and chased after Luke, cawing at him relentlessly. Between Luke's hurt leg and the vulture's impressive speed, the bird definitely had the upper hand, and knew it. A smug grin came across its face as it itched closer and closer to its prey. It was just about to snatch up its lunch when it flew into a cactus.

CRASH!

Luke chuckled under his breath as he turned his head to view the discombobulated creature. Something shinny caught the corner of his eye and he slowed his pace. He turned his glance towards it and saw that it was an empty glass bottle. He turned back to face the bird which had recovered it position in the sky and headed towards him. Without thinking twice, Luke ran to the empty bottle which, oddly enough, was big enough for him to fit inside. The glass barrier protected him from the vulture, which gave up after ten minutes of clawing at the bottle with its talons. It flew off to look for something else to eat that wouldn't give him such a hard time about it.

* * *

Dwarf Woodlands.

That's the name of the land where she will find Randy. Truthfully, Kyra found the name ridiculous, but what can she expect from a place full of talking animals and evil sorcerers. She climbed down from the horse, letting go of Gwydion's hand once her feet touch the ground.

"So I guess this is where we say goodbye?"

"Not without giving you this." He tossed down a knapsack, it landing into her arms.

She glanced down at the bag before looking up at him. "Is this some sort of parting gift?"

"It's some supplies for your trip," he explained, bemused. "You didn't expect me to leave you with nothing, did you?"

Kyra struck her tongue at the inside of her cheek before answering. "Yeah, pretty much."

Gwydion shook his head, chuckling a bit. Then he pointed behind her into the copse of younger trees. "Head straight until you reached a stream. From there, follow it down to its source and you should found the cottage of the dwarves."

"Should?" Kyra inquired, quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, you'll make it," he assured her, sitting tall. "I have faith you will."

"So I guess this means you're not scare of me anymore?"

"More like _for_ you. I wish I could take you the rest of the way myself, but my kingdom needs me."

Kyra shrugged. "I get it. And, um, thanks for your help. I appreciate it."

Gwydion smiled at her and nodded. "Farewell and good luck!" He steered Melyngar around and clicked his heels into the horse's sides, urging him into a gallop. Kyra as the prince raced away on his white steed until he disappeared into the cover of the trees, off to aid his home. Heaving a sigh, the girl faced the forest behind her, the one she would have to trek through to find Randy. She just hopes she doesn't encounter any monster trees or an old crone like Snow White did.

Feeling the scratchy cloth between her fingers, Kyra looked down and untied the thread around the neck of the bag. Opening it, her eyes widen. The supplies inside, included the last thing she ever thought to receive in her life: a sheathed dagger.

_"This isn't California anymore, Kyra," _she told herself. _"If you're gonna survived this, might as well have the right tools."_

Gathering her wits, she pulled the weapon out, stuffed the bag into her handbag, and tied the dagger to her belt at the side of her hip. Armed, she took a deep breath and strolled into the forest, determined.

_"I'm on my way, guys." _


End file.
